So you are saying that a statewide race like those won overwhelmingly by Dewine and Vance are due to gerrymandering? [/QUOTE]I am not saying that. Gerrymandering applies much less directly to senatorial races, and doesn't apply at all to statewide races where the electorate is defined by the state's borders.
I'll admit that gerrymandering might effect the U.S. House and the state legislative races slightly -- but only around the margins. Can you seriously believe that this recent election isn't a fairly accurate reflection of the Ohio citizenry? Maybe you just don't like what you see.
I didn't say anything about this recent election. I commented on the gap between how the state's governed and its electorate. I also don't think you can provide any backing to your claim that this only impacts races "around the margins."
Down here in South Carolina Tim Scott won reelection by gathering 62 percent of the vote, despite vicious racist attacks against him by the Democrats. He was called every name in the book -- an oreo, a house nig***, a black face of white supremacy, etc. Luckily the voters here didn't buy this racist crap and reelected him overwhelming. I'm not a native of this state. I do know about its racist past. Today's South Carolina is not what it used to be. Scott didn't win by gerrymandering. He won because he was the best candidate. I believe that was true of Vance and Dewine, too.
Yeah, Scott, Vance, and Dewine are far less impacted by gerrymandering. Scott also, you know, is in South Carolina. So don't understand what any of that is about.
Your points here seem vacuous.
Respectfully, nothing more vacuous than replying to a comment about gerrymandering and supporting your claim with nothing but references to statewide races. Especially when one of those races is in an irrelevant state.
As for the statement I actually made, here's why I feel that way:
1) The Ohio Supreme Court -- thanks to its Republican appointed chief justice -- ruled the Ohio electoral map unconstitutional. District lines have not been re-drawn.
2) The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gives Ohio's lines an F.
https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/redistricting-report-ca... 3) Ohio maps have been struck down six times in a row by the Ohio Supreme Court.
3) In a state where 42% of residents identify as Republicam, 40% as Democrat, and 18% as Independent, 12 of 18 house seats are held by Republicans.
And how does that show itself in how the state's actually governed?
1) 53% of voters want to protect abortion rights in Ohio. Only 39% want it restricted. The state legislature passed one of the nation's most restrictive laws.
2) 60% of voters opposed a change to concealed carry laws. The law was passed regardless.
3) 85% favor expanding background checks, 79% support raising the minimum purchase age of certain guns, and 75% support red flag laws. Instead, the gun laws passed in Ohio were so extreme they were denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police.
4) A 10 year old rape victim couldn't receive the medical care needed in Ohio and had to travel out of state. How do you think the electorate feels about that? Less than 14% of voters support banning abortions in all cases.
5) In 2012, Ohio voted for Obama by 3 points. Sherrod Brown won easily. Republicans won a 60-39 super majority in the house. Why is that? The Ohio Statehouse now has a 64-35 advantage. The state Senate has a 25-8 advantage. As I mentioned earlier, 42% of residents identify as Republicam, 40% as Democrat, and 18% as Independent. That's completely unreflected in the state government.
This article lays it out well:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/state-legis... There's bi-partisan support for my view, as evidenced by the Ohio Supreme Court. What evidence can you provide that the Ohio legislature reflects the population accurately and that anybody saying otherwise "just doesn't like the results." There's far more partisanship in your response than in my stance here.
[QUOTE=gedunkman]
I've noticed as I've lurked here over the years that you like to debate folks endlessly. That's not my style. I tend to make my points and leave it at that. Those reading this exchange can decide if they agree with me or you. I really don't care.