The Washington Times reports:

In Ohio, a redistricting plan recently approved by state lawmakers is pitting longtime incumbents against each other, turning up the heat in the politically divided Buckeye State’s 2012 election cycle.

….Some of the 16 districts they created will match well-known incumbents against each other, making for a game of congressional musical chairs and must-watch races in several districts next year.

Rep. Betty Sutton, a Democrat and former labor lawyer from Copley Township, for example, has been redrawn into the district of Rep. James B. Renacci, a Republican financial consultant from Wadsworth.

“The Sutton-Renacci race is going to be the war,” predicted David Wasserman, the Cook Political Report’s redistricting specialist. “I think it’s the next big labor fight in Ohio, a former labor lawyer running against the multimillionaire Republican.

and: Still, many political observers contend that the overall map favors the GOP.

“Ohio is a major disappointment for the Democrats,” Mr. Wasserman said. “They thought there would be a way by petition to block the map and force the issue to court. Instead, Democrats were unable to collect the required petition signatures and Republicans now have a map that they like. What has happened here fits a pattern consistent with many states in the country.”

In a state Mr. Obama carried in 2008, Republicans are poised to grab a 12-4 advantage in the U.S. House delegation next year.

Ohio Republicans called the map a bipartisan deal.