Gov. John Kasich hit at least one big issue that Republican lawmakers were not on board with - congressional redistricting reform. But one of the top advocates for changing it says Kasich has given the issue new momentum.
Kasich came out strong against gerrymandering, the practice of drawing voting district lines to help one political party over another.
Secretary of State Jon Husted, who’s been pushing for congressional redistricting reform for years, says state legislators aren’t enthusiastic about the idea partly because they face pressure from their congressional counterparts.
“Those are not the kind of conversations if you’re a legislator that you want to have because the top federal elected official in your district doesn’t want you to have them,” said Husted.
Republican legislative leadership shied away from taking a stance following Kasich’s address by saying things like “they’ll have to take a look at it” or “they’ll have to have that conversation.”