Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) announced Monday that he will be leaving his post next month to take a job leading his state’s chamber of commerce. His departure will give House Democrats a little more cushion in their extremely tight margin of control in the chamber.
Once he leaves, the number of votes Democrats can afford to lose and still pass measures will grow from two to three — at least until the next special election to fill one of the number of vacancies currently in the House.
Stivers chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee in the 2018 election cycle. He will step down from the House on May 16.
His district covers parts of Columbus and several of the suburbs around it. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), in his 2018 reelection race, is the only Democrat to carry the district since it was drawn, according to the Ohio political analyst Ryan Brune.
