The Hamilton County Democratic Party executive committee voted Tuesday to not endorse a candidate in the May primary for County Commissioner.
Incumbent Stephanie Summerow Dumas is on the ballot, and could face up to two fellow Democrats in the primary election.
Herman Najoli has picked up petitions to run as both a Democrat and an Independent candidate. The other is surprise candidate Meeka Owens, who took the oath of office for a third term on Cincinnati City Council just three weeks ago. Owens says her decision to enter the race is not personal.
"This seat has been driven by ego rather than outcomes," Owens said Tuesday. "I have seen managing conflict rather than making progress for our residents. We can do better."
Dumas touted her record ahead of the vote, citing leadership during the COVID pandemic, opening a satellite office for county services, and working to move the Cincinnati Police gun range out of Evendale.
A nominating committee from the party interviewed both Summerow Dumas and Owens and recommended endorsing Dumas for re-election. But the choice is ultimately up to the body of precinct executives, who voted on whether to accept or reject the recommendation.
That executive committee debated for some time before 25 members voted in favor of endorsing Summerow Dumas and more than 60 voted against the endorsement.
Summerow Dumas says this won't change her approach to campaigning for the May election.
"I'm just really not happy about the fact that we had to even go through all this," she told WVXU. "With all the work that has been done as commissioner for eight years — no controversies, no issues."
When Summerow Dumas was first sworn-in in 2019, she became the the first African American to serve on the Hamilton County commission, and was the first African American woman to serve as a county commissioner in Ohio. She won re-election for another four-year term in 2022. She says if she wins in 2026, she will not run for a third term in 2030.
Owens was first elected in 2021 (ranked fourth) for a two-year term beginning in 2022; she won re-election in 2023 (ranked second) and 2025 (ranked third), both times as part of a full slate of candidates endorsed by the Democratic party. Her current term goes through the end of 2027.
Owens is the second Cincinnati City Council member to announce a campaign for another elected office; Seth Walsh is running for Ohio State Treasurer.
If Owens wins the county race in November, she will need to resign from City Council. Per the city charter, her "successor designee" would choose someone to complete the rest of her Council term. Owens has chosen Council members Walsh and Evan Nolan for that job.
Council member Jeff Cramerding has picked up petitions to run in the May primary for Probate Judge in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas. He tells WVXU he is no longer planning to run because of "unfinished business" at City Hall.
Should Democrats endorse in contested primaries?
Several other City Council members are precinct executives and were present for the meeting. Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney and Scotty Johnson voted to endorse Summerow Dumas, while Anna Albi, Jeff Cramerding, Seth Walsh, Evan Nolan, and Mark Jeffreys voted not to endorse.
Johnson voiced a strong opinion ahead of the vote.
"There is nothing Commissioner Dumas has done to lose the endorsement of this party. So what message are we sending as Democrats?" Johnson said.
Jeffreys says the decision comes down to whether or not the party should endorse in primary elections at all.
"We have two candidates who are both in good standing in the party, both previously endorsed, both putting in the work," he said. "We're going to have this challenge in the future. So the question here is not even about these candidates... let the voters decide."
Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Alex Linser says he thinks there are times the party should endorse in a primary and times it shouldn't.
"Our voters deserve qualified candidates who have been vetted and are ready to run competitive campaigns," Linser told WVXU. "I think I heard loud and clear from our membership tonight that in the case where we have two really good candidates, they want us to step back and let the voters decide. And I think the executive committee had a robust discussion about that and came to an appropriate conclusion, given the times that we're in."
Summerow Dumas has already submitted sufficient signatures to appear on the May ballot.
Candidates need to submit 50 valid signatures of registered voters to qualify for the ballot.
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