ARMONK, New York — After the 2020 census, the Ohio General Assembly redrew the map of Ohio’s 4th Congressional District to look like a jigsaw puzzle missing random pieces in order to keep it a safe district for Rep. Jim Jordan. Ohio gerrymandering ensures that his seat remains secure. But we need not be stuck with the consequences of partisan gerrymandering forever.
Ohio Gerrymandering and the Ohio Supreme Court
This November, if Democrats flip Ohio’s Supreme Court, currently controlled by a 4-3 Republican majority, the court could strike the map down, send it back to the General Assembly, and keep on doing it until legislators produce a district map that complies with the Ohio Constitution, specifically Article XI, Section 6, which says, “No General assembly district plan shall be drawn primarily to favor or disfavor a political party.”
The Impact of Ohio Gerrymandering on Elections
For now, the tortured map will help Jordan fend off challenger Tamie Wilson, despite Jordan’s dismal record. During his eight terms in the U.S. House, he was the primary sponsor of just 16 bills. None became law. His legislative efficiency is rated 0.009 by the Center for Effective Lawmaking — fourth from last of 435 representatives. Small wonder he voted against the Ensuring a Fair and Accurate Census Act, which would have helped eliminate partisan gerrymandering.
The Role of the U.S. Supreme Court in Ohio Gerrymandering
The U.S. Supreme Court has also declined to stop gerrymandering. Although Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Excessive partisanship [in redistricting] … leads to results that … seem unjust [and] … incompatible with democratic principles,” the Court held that political redistricting is not the business of federal courts.
Jim Jordan’s Legislative Record
As a result, lousy candidates keep winning, and Jordan is one of the lousiest.
Health Care Promises and Actions
He promised to prioritize health care, but he undermined it. He was key to previous efforts to repeal Obamacare. Had he succeeded, 21 million Americans would have lost health insurance and nobody would be covered for pre-existing conditions. He praised President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order which sabotaged Obamacare, contributing to the loss of coverage for 2.3 million Americans, including 700,000 children. It halved Obamacare’s enrollment period, made it more expensive and harder to apply, and canceled provisions lowering premiums. Jordan called this “giv[ing] Americans the relief they need.”
He voted to cut Medicare $473 billion and targeted Medicaid for a $1.3 trillion cut over 10 years. His Freedom Caucus proposed cutting Medicaid by over $3 trillion and dramatically narrowing eligibility. He spent his last two years fighting legislation to lower drug costs, protecting Big Pharma’s profits.
Jordan made Americans less safe by launching attacks on the FBI. These attacks undermined trust in the institution, making it harder to attract and keep qualified employees, and preserve and expand intelligence sources.
Jordan claimed that “dozens and dozens of whistleblowers” told his committee that the FBI targeted Republicans to sabotage their elections. In fact, only four testified. Jordan called them credible witnesses, yet at least two received money from Trump’s close adviser Kash Patel, who also found one a job.
Understandably, Jordan won’t debate Tamie Wilson, but here’s a video on how it would go if he did.
