Who’s running for Ohio’s 13th congressional district?

Nine people have shown up to run in the race for Ohio’s 13th congressional district, which according to the latest policy shuffle includes all of Summit, Northwest Stark and part of Southwest Counties. Carrying.

Among them are the former Ohio House Democratic leader and former co-chair of the Women for Trump National Advisory Council. There are seven Republicans and two Democrats who filed by Friday’s deadline.

But it’s still unclear whether the district’s current lines will remain in place, as the Ohio Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the lines violate anti-gerrymandering language in the Ohio Constitution.

The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the first map passed by GOP lawmakers and signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. The court pointed to splits in Summit, Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties, in particular, as issues.

The rejected map divided Summit County between the 13th District – which solidly included Democratic Akron, Medina County and southern and western parts of Cuyahoga County – and the 7th District, which included the eastern and southern edges of Summit County. , along with Stark, Wayne, Ashland and the northern part of Holmes County.

The new map creates a more Democratic-friendly district than the first map with 51% of voters leaning Democrats and 47% Republicans.

One of the big names to initially announce his candidacy was Max Miller, a White House aide to former President Donald Trump who was also endorsed by Trump. But Miller has now filed for run in the new 7th arrondissementwhich includes Medina County, Wayne County, southern and western Cuyahoga County, and a northwestern portion of Holmes County.

If the card stays up, Miller would face incumbent Republican Bob Gibbs, who is seeking re-election in the 7th District, in the primary.

Who’s running for Ohio’s 13th congressional district?

The leading Democrat in the race is State Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, who in December resigned as House Democratic leader after three years before announcing her candidacy for the seat.

Sykes, who holds a law degree and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Florida, represents Ohio’s 34th district. She was elected Minority Leader by her fellow Democrats in 2019.

Sykes was first elected for her district of Akron in 2014 and became the first black female legislator under 30 to serve in the Legislative Assembly. His mother, Barbara Sykes, served in the Ohio House and ran as a state auditor, and his father, Vernon Sykes, is a state senator.

But another Trump associate has also joined the race: the Republican Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, Canton attorney, former Miss Ohio USA and former co-chair of the Women for Trump National Advisory Council. She planned to challenge Marcy Kaptur in the 9th congressional district, but is now running in the 13th.

Raised in Massillon and now living in Jackson Township, Gilbert’s website lists her as a conservative political commentator and columnist for The Washington Times who has appeared on Fox News, Newsmax, CNN and MSNBC.

She graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in political science and from OSU’s Moritz College of Law in 2017.

According to his website, Gilbert’s roles in the Trump campaign have included a national surrogate for the Trump campaign, adviser to the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, regional press secretary and spokesperson for the presidential inaugural committee, ambassador to the America First Policy Institute and 2020 Trump. member of the campaign’s advisory committee.

She is married to retired NFL player Marcus Gilbert, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

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Other contenders in the race include:

• The only other Democrat is John Impellizzeri, a current Munroe Falls City Council member who was elected in 2021. He previously served on the city’s park board. According to his page on the city’s website, Impellizzeri, raised in Syracuse, New York, earned a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Akron and is a senior computer testing coordinator for the University Hospital Network.
• Republican Janet Folger Porter, of Hinckley Township, is an anti-abortion activist who is the founder and president of Faith2Action. On her website, she calls herself “the architect of the Heartbeat pro-life bill.[s]across the country. Bills ban abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is before many women know they are pregnant. Porter is the former director national of the Center for Reclaiming America and former legislative alumnus of the Ohio Right to Life.She received an honorary doctorate in Christian humanitarian service from the South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary and graduated from Cleveland State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. in communication.
• Republican Shay Hawkins, of Broadview Heights, grew up in suburban Cleveland and earned an undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Columbia Business School and his law degree from Moritz College of Law of the USO. He served as the top policy adviser to U.S. Senator Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, and worked with the U.S. Treasury Department “to develop regulations for Opportunity Zones.” His website also indicates that he has taught law and economics at the college level. According to his website, he served as a tax adviser to the Senate and helped create Opportunity Zones “designed to ensure that private investment is directed to economically challenged communities across the country.”
• Republican Santana King, of North Royalton, grew up in Cleveland and currently works as a government consultant and editor for a small foreign affairs newspaper, according to her website. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in government and international relations. King describes himself as a “pragmatic moderate Republican” who says he is “an alternative for minorities and all people who align themselves with Republican values ​​and positions but are eligible to vote.”[d] differently because of their negative perception of the GOP.
• Republican Dante Sabatucci, of Cuyahoga Falls, graduated from Jackson High School in 1986, joined the Ohio National Guard in 1987 and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Akron in 1993, according to his site. Internet. He has worked in technology and communications since 1994, and in 2002 he started a business with his father. In 2010, he started a baseball academy and was inducted into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021. Sabatucci’s website says he is a “free market capitalist and conservative” who is pro – “freedom of religion, medical freedom, fiscal discipline”. , first and second amendment, life, border security, election integrity, term limits, limited federal government, states rights [and] Asset.”
• Republican Ryan Saylor, of Stow, works for Summa Health as a project manager and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Kent State University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron, according to his LinkedIn page. .
• Republican Greg Wheeler of Copley Township is a lawyer and accountant who said he previously worked in real estate, entertainment and the aviation industry. According to his website, he had a startup featured on the TV show “Shark Tank” and is a licensed rider who also served as a bike patrol volunteer for Summit Metro Parks.

Could the lines for Ohio’s congressional districts still change?

Republicans in Ohio approved the new 4-year congressional map this week despite calls from Democrats to work toward a bipartisan solution.

Now the Ohio Supreme Court must decide whether the lines violate anti-gerrymandering language in the Ohio Constitution, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2018. Without maps, Ohioans cannot not vote on the Statehouse and Congressional races in the May 3 primary.

The new map would help the GOP retain at least 10 of 15 seats — and gain as many as 13 in a strong Republican year.

Republicans currently comprise 12 of Ohio’s 16-member congressional delegation, but Ohio will lose a seat because its population has grown at a slower rate than the country over the past decade.

The Ohio Supreme Court is also reviewing State House and Senate maps passed last week to see if they adhere to anti-gerrymandering language approved by Ohio voters in 2015.

Unlike the case of the State House and Senate maps, the Ohio Constitution does not explicitly prohibit the court from drawing a map of Congress or appointing a special master to do so.

The fate of the May primary also remains uncertain. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio election officials have warned state lawmakers that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to hold a full primary on May 3.

The Ohio Supreme Court may move the date. Alternatives include moving the entire primary to June or later or holding two primaries, a move that could cost the state at least $20 million.

Jessie Balmert and Haley BeMiller, reporters for the USA TODAY Network’s Ohio Bureau, contributed to this article. Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at [email protected] and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.