Ohio GOP lawmaker announces retirement citing redistricting ‘circus’

By Clare Foran and Melissa Holzberg DePalo, CNN

Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs said on Wednesday that he will not seek reelection and will instead retire as he expressed frustration with redistricting in his state.

In a statement, Gibbs referenced what he described as “the circus redistricting has become in Ohio,” and went on to say, “this circus has provided me the opportunity to assess my future. To that end, after considerable deliberation, I have decided to not seek re-election this year.”

Gibbs was also facing Max Miller, a former aide to former President Donald Trump, in the Republican primary. Trump endorsed Miller last year.

Gibbs was first elected in 2010 and served in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate prior to running for Congress. The Ohio congressman is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and serves as the ranking Republican member for the subcommittee on the coast guard and maritime transportation. He is also a member of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Gibbs is the 18th Republican to announce they’ll be leaving at the end of the term. In total, 47 House members — 18 Republicans and 29 Democrats — have announced they will either retire or run for higher office.

While litigation is ongoing in Ohio about the new congressional map, the primary election in Ohio is set to take place on May 3 in the new districts. The map changes Gibbs’ district, which was predominantly rural, to include more of the Cleveland suburbs. While the seat will still likely favor Republicans, it is more competitive for Democrats.

In his statement, Gibbs said, “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.”

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