Emilia Sykes Announces Bid For Ohio's 13th Congressional District

STRONGSVILLE, OH — State Rep. Emilia Sykes announced her campaign to be the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th Congressional District on Tuesday morning.

“Too often working families feel alone–and they shouldn’t have to leave the state to find success, safety and security. I promise to bring a fresh perspective to Washington, and fight for opportunity for every child, senior, and family in Northeast Ohio, regardless of their politics or beliefs," Sykes said in a statement declaring her candidacy.

Sykes is currently the Democratic state representative from Akron. As a member of the Ohio General Assembly, she's served as the House's minority leader for Democrats. Now, she's taking aim at a district with uncertain borders.

The Ohio 13th Congressional District is currently represented in U.S. Congress by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who announced he would not seek re-election in September 2021, citing political rancor from his own party. The district currently includes portions of western Cuyahoga County and parts of Summit and Medina counties.

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However, Ohio is in the midst of redrawing its congressional maps and Republican proposals for redistricting were recently ruled unconstitutional, sending lawmakers back to the drawing board. That leaves the 13th District's borders an uncertain squiggly line in the short-term. For her part, Sykes isn't bothered by the unclear future of the district's borders, telling cleveland.com that "it's a fool's errand to try to predict what the court will do."

Sykes also promised to be a bipartisan leader for her constituents, regardless of where they live.

"That’s why in the state legislature I have a track record of working with both parties to get things done for the people of this state. During my first year as Democratic Leader, despite serving in the minority, the percentage of bipartisan bills we passed was nearly double each of the previous two legislative sessions," she said.

Currently, there are numerous candidates running for Ohio's 13th District, cleveland.com reported. Republican candidates include Max Miller, a Trump-endorsed candidate, ex-congressional aide Shay Hawkins, and former candidate Jonah Schulz.