As Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther seeks a fourth term, he is facing a challenger from within City Hall in Council President Shannon Hardin, but the two Democrats could face even more challengers from outside of City Hall.
Six other potential mayoral candidates have pulled petitions from the Franklin County Board of Elections to begin collecting signatures for the 2027 mayoral election, although most residents have probably never heard of them.
To get on the ballot in the nonpartisan Columbus mayoral race in 2027, a candidate has to collect at least 1,000 valid signatures and file a petition by Feb. 3. If more than two candidates make the ballot, there will be a primary election on May 4 to narrow the field down to two ahead of the November general
election. All candidates run in the same primary, regardless of party, and the top two vote-getters advance.
Who besides Ginther and Hardin is eying a mayoral bid? And are there other local politicians who might yet throw their hat in the ring?
Who else has pulled a petition for Columbus Mayor?
While Hardin, a City Hall insider of over a decade tries to position himself as a change agent, other potential candidates who've pulled petitions are true City Hall outsiders who've never held elected office. Those are:
- Emma Elizabeth Storer, of the Far North Side
- Marquis Latham-Woods, of the Far East Side
- Carrie J. Griffin, of the Southeast Side, who ran in 2023 as a write-in candidate for mayor after failing to collect enough valid signatures
- Samantha Marie Baker, of the Near East Side
- Jenn Crayton, of the Hilltop, a Libertarian
- John Robert Peck Jr., of the Southeast Side
Ginther and Hardin are close to one another on the political spectrum but several of these other potential candidates are running on platforms that lie further outside the "Columbus Way" norms of City Hall.
For example, Samantha Baker's platform includes ending cooperation with surveillance companies like Flock Safety and weapons manufacturers like Anduril and establishing community grocery stores. She launched her campaign for mayor at Slammers, the city's historic lesbian bar, on Sept. 11.
While city races are technically nonpartisan, many candidates advertise their party affiliation and Columbus is such a Democratic stronghold that a Republican hasn't run for mayor since 2015.
Joe Motil hasn't ruled out running for mayor again
Joe Motil, a local Democratic activist who unsuccessfully challenged Ginther in 2023 and captured over a third of the vote, has not pulled a petition to run for mayor in 2027 as of Sept. 17.
Motil, 70, has run for public office several times. He told The Dispatch on Sept. 18 that he "hasn't entirely discounted" running for mayor again. He said he won't run as long as a formidable candidate steps up to challenge Ginther and Hardin.
"I think it's very disappointing we just have Mayor Ginther and Shannon Hardin, who in my opinion come from the same mold and aren't very different," Motil said. "If nobody steps up, another formidable candidate who's very active and understands city politics, I would consider possibly running."
Could any other elected officials run for mayor?
One of the defining characteristics of politics in Columbus and other blue cities in Ohio is that there's a ceiling. In another decade or in other states, an officeholder in a big city like Columbus might go on to run for statewide office or Congress.
But Democrats have struggled on the statewide stage in recent election cycles as the once quintessential swing state has turned red. And the state's congressional map is generally drawn to favor Republicans. Outside Rep. Joyce Beatty's seat, other central Ohio congressional seats are a longshot for a Democrat to win.
So all the ambitious Democratic politicians in Columbus are dreaming of the day when Ginther's or Beatty's jobs are up for grabs.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein is one local elected official who has hinted at his aspirations for higher office in the past. But after Ginther announced he would seek a fourth term, Klein said he would support him.
Still, Klein is sitting on $1.1 million in his campaign coffers so he's well positioned to eventually run for another office. He has not faced a significant challenge in any of his campaigns for city attorney.
There's still a lot of time for anyone to enter the race. Ginther hadn't even pulled a petition yet to begin collecting signatures as of Sept. 17.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who might shake up the 2027 Columbus mayor's race? Here are some candidates
