Ohio congressman says redistricting ‘circus’ pushed him from reelection run

(The Center Square) – Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs called Ohio’s ongoing struggle with redistricting a “circus” and abruptly announced his retirement as early voting is under way in the state’s Republican primary.

Gibbs said in a statement almost 90% of the voters in Ohio’s new 7th Congressional District, where he would have been required to run, are new, adding nearly two-thirds are primarily from another district.

“This circus has provided me the opportunity to assess my future,” Gibbs said. “To that end, after considerable deliberation, I have decided to not seek re-election this year,” Gibbs said in the statement. “This was a difficult decision, one which I did not make lightly.”

The six-term congressman said it was irresponsible to “effectively confirm the congressional map for this election cycle seven days before voting begins.”

The Ohio Redistricting Commission approved congressional districts March 2 after the General Assembly failed to redraw a map after its first attempt was ruled unconstitutional.

The second set congressional map remains in front the Ohio Supreme Court after commission attorneys asked it be removed from the lawsuit.

“I am confident in the future of our nation and the prospects of a Republican majority in the House to stop the worst instincts of the Biden administration and the progressive liberal agenda,” Gibbs said. “These prospects are bright despite the circus redistricting has become in Ohio. These long, drawn-out processes, in which the Ohio Supreme Court can take weeks and months to deliberate while demanding responses and filings from litigants within days, is detrimental to the state and does not serve the people of Ohio.”

The state’s new congressional map had Gibbs facing former President Donald Trump-backed Max Miller in the Republican primary, along with four other candidates.

Miller, a former aide to Trump and originally from Ohio, announced his run for Congress a little more than a year ago to challenge retiring Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Ohio’s May 3 primary does not include state legislative races after districts were ruled unconstitutional three times and the court has yet to rule on a fourth map.

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