COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The leader of the Ohio House’s Democratic caucus says she’s stepping down at the end of the year.
Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, has held the minority leader position for three years. She said Wednesday she’s considering future options, including elected office. Sykes is frequently mentioned as a possible Congressional candidate. Her present two-year term runs out at the end of next year.
“We’ve made government more responsive to the people and grown opportunity for all of us, not just those at the top,” Sykes said in a statement.
Sykes served at a time when GOP lawmakers had a veto-proof majority in the House, making it difficult to push Democratic priorities. Sykes was also a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission and voted against GOP maps she says continued partisan gerrymandering in the state.
Sykes served on that commission with her father, Democratic Sen. Vernon Sykes of Akron. Barbara Sykes, Emilia’s mother and Vernon’s wife, is also a former House lawmaker now serving as president and CEO of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.
