Labor Gearing Up for Governor in Ohio

Perhaps two of the most underreported aspects of the 2010 midterm elections are the numerous races for control of Governors' Mansions and State Legislatures across the country. While, the mainstream media has focused primarily on whether Democrats can maintain control of Congress, in many states the party that controls state legislatures and governorships will control the redistricting process. And as America Votes Executive Director Greg Speed has written, controlling the redistricting process can mean sending more representatives from your party to Congress. Thus far, the national media has largely ignored redistricting, but many donors and national organizations have made it one of their primary focuses.

The latest example comes from Ohio, where The Hill's Sean Miller reports that the AFL-CIO and other labor groups are putting their focus squarely on the Governor's race between incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland and Republican challenger John Kasich. Why? In a word, redistricting.

"But there's added significance to the governor's race because the office plays a powerful role in the redistricting process, which takes place after the 2010 Census is completed in December. Ohio is expected to lose up to two of its 18 seats because of a population decline, which means the governor's office and the General Assembly will be grappling over how to redraw the state's House boundaries."

That's why out of a bevy of important and competitive races throughout the Buckeye State, the governor's race might the most important out of all of them.