Republicans will draw the new lines. Ohio is losing one seat, and the seat will almost certainly have to come from this part of the state. A move by Kucinich toward the mayor's office would relieve pressure and could preserve competitive districts for both U.S. Reps. A Tubbs Jones candidacy might help some, but only some. She is the only black in the congressional delegation and runs in the only congressional district in the state in which a majority of the population is composed of minorities.
Federal law requires line drawers to create a minority-majority district in the Cleveland area.
Both Brown and Sawyer have said they would consider running for governor against Republican Bob Taft next year if put in heavily altered districts, although they really seem much more interested in staying in Congress. For Kucinich, a former Cleveland mayor, a return to the big office downtown would be a personal and political vindication. It was during his days in office that Cleveland went into default in 1978. The second tier of candidates has to include Cuyahoga County Commissioners Jane Campbell and Tim McCormack. Campbell, a former state representative who considered running for governor in 1994, also has been thinking about challenging Taft in 2002.