New maps of state legislative districts place the Mahoning Valley in largely Republican hands, with two House district exceptions.

The powerful new redistricting panel in Ohio failed on Wednesday to reach the bipartisan consensus necessary to pass a 10-year map of state legislative districts based on 2020 census totals.

After hours of negotiations ahead of a midnight deadline, the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new district boundaries purely along party lines. That means the map will last for only four years.

The Republican bill largely keeps the existing 58th Ohio House District intact. The strong Democratic district would include all of Youngstown, Austintown, Struthers, Lowellville, Campbell and Coitsville.

The new 59th District is a solid Republican one and includes the rest of Mahoning County along with the Columbiana County townships of Knox, Butler and West.

The 33rd Senate District includes all of Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties and is Republican. The current district includes just the first two counties, but had to grow because of population declines. The current district is represented by state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, who will seek re-election next year if he doesn’t run for Congress.

One Trumbull County House District, a new 64th, would be a Democratic district including the cities of Warren, Niles, Girard and Hubbard as well as the townships of Liberty, Weathersfield, Howland and Vienna. The initial Republican map had Warren in a red district with rural communities in Trumbull and Portage counties, but that was changed to give Democrats a safe district in Trumbull.

The other House district, a new 65th, would be a solid Republican district including the rest of Trumbull County along with more than half of Portage County.

Trumbull’s 32nd Senate District, which would lean Republican, includes all of that county and Portage County. The district is currently represented by state Sen. Sandra Oá’Brien, R-Lenox, who isn’t up for re-election until 2024. She lives in Ashtabula County, but would represent Trumbull and Portage counties for the next two years.

Read MORE in Friday’s VINDICATOR.