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How Progressive Oberlin, Ohio Got a Trump Supporting Representative in Congress
 
August 15 – August 28, 2019
 
jim jordan



Representative Jim Jordan (D-OH), Tea Party leader and one of the most conservative members of Congress, represents one of the most progressive cities, Oberlin, Ohio. Jordan votes with President Trump 85% of the time and earned a six percent grade from the NAACP.

How did that happen? According to All On The Line, gerrymandering. Many in the nation call the shape of his district, "Ohio's duck." It is one of the longest, most convoluted districts in the state. It stretches into Lorain, Huron, and Erie through another 11 counties to get near the Indiana border. And it goes just far enough north to include Oberlin, home of Oberlin, University.

In 1835 Oberlin became one of the first colleges in the United States to admit African Americans, and in 1837 the first to admit women. Today, it its known for its progressive student activism.

State Republicans, who controlled the 2011 redistricting process, did it to ensure Oberlin's likely Democratic voters would be buried in an otherwise-conservative district. As a result says All On The Line, Jordan defended adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census and voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

All On The Line is the result of Organizing for Action, President’s Obama’s political arm, folding itself into Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The merged organization runs All On The Line to promote participation in the 2020 Census and redistricting reform. State legislatures will use Census 2020 data to draw new districts and All On The Line says it plans to continue the fight to ensure a fair and transparent process to draw impartial districts in 2021.
 
 
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