Republicans in Columbus had one job: draw a congressional map that reflects the voters who elected them.
When President Trump called on GOP-led states to fight as hard as Democrats do in redistricting, Ohio was supposed to be part of that charge. Instead, it answered his call with surrender, handing Democrats a "compromise" map they didn't even have to ask for.
Trump carried the state by 11 points. Republicans hold the legislature, the governorship, and a 10–5 congressional edge, yet somehow managed to keep it that way. They had the power, the numbers, the mandate, and they wasted all three.
On protecting a Democrat.
The new map released Thursday strengthens Akron Democrat Emilia Sykes, a seat Republicans should be reclaiming, not reinforcing. Her district just shifted about three points to the left, a quiet favor no one seems eager to explain.
Sykes's father, longtime lawmaker Vernon Sykes, reportedly spent decades working alongside many of the same Republicans now redrawing the lines, and it shows. Meanwhile, Democrats Greg Landsman in Cincinnati and Marcy Kaptur in Toledo were handed districts they can still win.
This is the Establishment's idea of leadership: protecting Democrats in a state that rejects them. It's their answer to Illinois and California, where Democrats have wiped Republicans off the map, and to Virginia, where top Democrats are floating a 10–1 redraw. That's how Democrats play this game — to win.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, a state Trump carried three times, Republicans are cutting deals instead of districts. They don't owe Democrats a seat at the table. When have Democrats ever offered us the same?
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Democrats have spent years weaponizing redistricting, the courts, and the bureaucracy to lock in power they couldn't win at the ballot box. Yet in one of the reddest states in America, Republicans behave as though power itself is something to apologize for. They've forgotten what they were elected to do: fight for the voters who put them there.
And those voters are noticing. In response to Ohio's map, commentators are asking: "Why are Republicans so afraid to wield power?" It's a fair question, and the frustration is justified. The base sees it plainly — a party paralyzed by fear of its own strength.
Elsewhere, real conservatives are showing what leadership looks like. Texas, North Carolina, and Indiana are moving to secure the future by using the authority voters gave them. Ohio has the same opportunity and the same obligation, but none of the will.
Ohio doesn't need a "compromise" map. It needs a 13–2 map that reflects political reality and honors the will of the people who voted overwhelmingly for conservative leadership. Every time Republicans compromise, they don't earn respect. They lose representation.
Trump didn't win Ohio by apologizing. He won by fighting, by standing up to the same political class now lecturing Republicans about playing fair. The lesson wasn't subtle: strength wins. The people who delivered this majority expect their leaders to act like they have one.
So draw the map. Make it strong. Defend it without shame. If Democrats can use power to entrench themselves, Republicans can use it to protect the voters who handed it to them.
Voters didn't send Republicans to Columbus to manage decline. They sent them to lead. And that starts with growing a spine.
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