With less than 100 days to run a full campaign under a third-party banner we managed to carry 28% of the vote here in Ohio Statehouse of Representatives District 9. We started out attempting to run as an independent, but found ourselves shy of the 345-signature threshold by just 7 signatures after delivering 418. Just when we thought we were going to have to wait 2 years some crazy shenanigans happened at the Federal race level that allowed the Libertarian party to gain last moment ballot access. This opened the door for me to be able to get out there and let people in my district know that we did now have a choice rather than to have our representative appointed as happened in the 2022 general election.

We have discovered that there is a very large independent voter block that no one seems to reach out to who came out to enthusiastically show that they were willing to take a chance in throwing their support behind a third-party candidate. I thank those who were willing to come out and not only vote for our next federal level representatives, but also to do their research and decide to cast their votes for me in this local Ohio statehouse race. I am grateful to the Republican voter who reached out across party lines to notify me about the voting machine issue that she experienced while she was casting her vote. This is the kind of courage and civic duty that we the public need to be willing to step up and do when the call to civic duty arises. If we do not we will continue to feel and be powerless. Power comes with the willingness, the courage, and the bravery to get involved. Sometimes making your voice heard goes beyond going to the polls and requires that you get up off of the couch and out from your screens and actually do something real. Couch politics is great, but it doesn’t get the job done.

I want to thank those in the local media including Mark and Cheri on The Mid-Ohio Breakfast Club at 92.9 WXGT for having the courage to reach out to me and invite me to be a part of their show to bring awareness to my campaign. I also want to thank the Columbus Dispatch, WSYX 6, WNCI, and the Jewish Newsletter for jumping onto my ballot awareness campaign. Without all of you local media outlets many other people would not have known about my campaign. Campaigning is about awareness and it takes a willingness for those with the platforms for a voice to come forward and allow that awareness to occur. My gratitude also goes out to the Libertarian party for inviting me to run with them and to all of those volunteers who went out door-to-door with me early on canvassing door hangers directly to the voters. A big thank you to those quiet friends and family member who donated to the campaign to allow me to get it started so quickly after finally landing on the ballot in early August.

Also thank you to the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Columbus Chapter and the Prince Hall Masons of Ohio for graciously inviting me to speak at your events and with your members. My gratitude to all of the local community churches in Ohio House of Representatives in District 9 for allowing me to come and sit with your congregations during your Sunday services within our community. My campaign was in the idea that we need to build a strong community together. A big part of that is in learning to support one another at the local level and be willing to do our own small part within that community.

Finally, I want to congratulate the winner, incumbent Munira Abdullahi for taking the seat in a general election race rather than just being mandated and appointed by the Franklin County Democrat party. After spending several days double checking and making sure that our local Board of Elections is accountable to this voting process, and has conducted it is as fairly as possible, I am satisfied that I can hang up my research hat for now and leave this election cycle behind. Just remember when you take your seat again in 2025 that Ohio Statehouse District 9 does not mandate globalism. That is why we ran against you. Remember to engage your community directly and hear them because I can tell you that even your voter base does not feel like you hear them by the way they ripped the clipboard out of my hand and willingly signed my petition to get onto the ballot. Never assume voters are in your back pocket because they aren’t and deserve proper representation. We wish you the best now show us that you are indeed our true representative and not bought, paid for, and installed by big money. All of those elected to the Ohio Statehouse should remember this in the next 2 years.