Tiara Ross and Jesse Vogel won the Tuesday primary election race for Columbus City Council District 7, narrowing the field ahead of November’s general election for the seat.
Ross received 41% of the vote and Vogel received 39% with 99% of precincts reporting Tuesday evening. Curry-Da-Souza, a third candidate in the race, came in third with 20% of the vote.
A little under 40,000 Columbus residents voted in the city council race. Franklin County reported a 10% turnout on Tuesday, which was a rainy day.
Ross and Vogel will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, which will decide who will hold the ninth seat on Columbus City Council.
Under the city’s district system, the person will represent downtown Columbus and most of its core neighborhoods like Franklinton, the Short North and Olde Towne East. The entire city of Columbus was able to vote in the election.
The winner will succeed City Councilmember Otto Beatty III, who was appointed to the seat after Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor won her new elected office in 2024.
The race was nonpartisan on the ballot, but each candidate tried to make their political affiliations known during the campaign.
Ross, 37, is a Columbus Assistant City Attorney with the city’s Property Action Team. Ross, a downtown Columbus resident, ran as a Democrat and won support from Favor, every member of Columbus City Council, Mayor Andrew Ginther and her boss City Attorney Zach Klein.
Ross spent her campaign night surrounded by family and many of her supporters at her uncle's restaurant downtown, Souls 2 Go Cafe. Many of the elected officials who threw their support behind her showed up including City Council President Shannon Hardin and Favor.
Ross told her supporters she faced difficulties during her campaign. During the race, Ross was questioned about the $3,800 in unpaid parking tickets she owed the city and driving on a suspended license. Ross has since paid off that debt and had her license reinstated.
Ross said she came make it past adversity.
"When it's difficult, you can count on me to double down. When it is difficult to say diversity; to say equity; to say inclusion, you're going to count on me to to double-down," Ross said. "When it difficult to stay affordable, accessible, count on me to double down. When it's difficult to say ethical, transparent, government, count of me to double down."
Ross said she wants to show up to Columbus and she continues to run her campaign.
Vogel, 32, is a public interest attorney, working on immigration issues with the Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS). Vogel, an Olde Towne East resident, ran as a Democrat and won support from the Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio, the Working Families Party and Columbus City Schools board member Sarah Ingles.
Vogel and his supporters gathered at Columbus Brewing Company at the East Market Tuesday.
Vogel told WOSU his Election Night showing proves that building support among hundreds of residents around the city, rather than politicians, can work.
"There's a lot of power and excitement to building something that responds to the concerns of working people who, in Columbus, are struggling to pay rent and struggling to afford childcare," Vogel said.
Vogel credited what he called a strong campaign operation that he says knocked thousands of doors and connected with thousands of voters. Vogel said he wants to build on that work and, like Ross, wants to "double down" on his messaging.
"I think it's a hopeful sign, but it doesn't leave me undaunted by the hard work ahead because I know that it takes a lot to build and sustain an organization and an effort like this. But I'm hopeful because we have a lot of amazing people in this room who want to keep going," Vogel said.
The Franklin County Democratic Party opted not to endorse any candidate in the election, but may do so after the primary. Despite this, Democratic politicians like Hardin, Klein and other city councilmembers chipped a majority of Tiara Ross's campaign funds to buoy her campaign.
Vogel took some heat after he got a significant amount of money from out-of-state donors. He attributed this to knowing people from his time living outside of Ohio and friends and family that have left the Columbus area.
Curry-Da-Souza, 43, is a former chair of the Near East Side Commission and currently is a network director with Success by Third Grade for United Way of Central Ohio. Curry-Da-Souza, a Near East Side resident, ran as an Independent and received support from former Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s Forward Party.
Curry-Da-Souza gathered with family and supporters at Old First Presbyterian Church on the near east side. She told WOSU she is proud of her campaign.
"I'm really proud that I can stand firm in my beliefs. Didn't have to violate them in any way by running as an independent. And I truly believe that this is the future. We need to have more independent candidates running," Curry-Da Souza said.
Vogel said he respects the work Curry-Da-Souza did and said he values the ideas she shared and how she talked about a different vision for politics in Columbus.
When asked, Vogel said he'd like to have further conversations with Curry-Da-Souza and her supporters.
Curry-Da-Souza did not say who she'd support between Ross and Vogel. She said both candidates need to make sure their promises to engage with the community after the election aren't just lip service.
"It can't something for a campaign, it needs to be something that you live every day. Repeatedly for years and years on end, not just 366 days, and not just a few at a time," Curry-Da-Souza said. "It really needs to be somebody who's digging in and who's going to stay here and do the work. And I look forward to seeing that leadership."
Council members Rob Dorans, Emmanuel Remy and Christopher Wyche will also be on the ballot in November, but none of them have opponents for their seats.
This is a developing story.
