Opinion | District 7 Cannot Afford Another Split Vote

Numbers often tell a story that politics sometimes tries to ignore.

In the 2022 election for the Columbus City Council District 7 seat, Councilor Joanne Cogle defeated Laketha Ashe in a runoff by a narrow margin of 454
votes to 373, a difference of just 81 votes. The path to that runoff tells an even more revealing story.

In the primary election, only 1,764 people voted in the entire district. Cogle finished first but led Ashe by only 16 votes — 492 to 476 — demonstrating just how competitive the race was from the very beginning.

But perhaps the most telling statistic from that election lies in how the vote divided.

With four candidates in the race, the electorate split almost perfectly along geographic and political lines. Two candidates — Joanne Cogle and John
Etamadi — largely represented voters from the historic and Uptown Columbus sections of the district. Together they received 882 votes.

On the other side, Laketha Ashe and Juanita Taylor drew support from many voters in the district’s Black community. Combined, they also received 882 votes. A virtual tie. That division set the stage for the runoff that ultimately produced Cogle’s 81-vote victory.

Those numbers matter today because District 7 once again faces a familiar political crossroads.

As the next election cycle approaches, the conversation has turned to who should emerge as the strongest challenger to Rebecca Zajac, who has entered the race. Two names are now central to that discussion: Laketha Ashe and Chiara Richardson.

The question before District 7 voters is not simply about personalities or individual ambitions. It is about strategy.

History has already demonstrated what happens when similar voter bases are divided across multiple candidates. You have seen the numbers. The math becomes difficult to overcome.

As my mother used to say, “Let me break it down where the goats can get it.” If voter turnout on May 19, 2026, reaches only 1,764 people, as it did in 2022, the math becomes straightforward. A candidate such as Zajac — who, if we are being candid, largely draws support from uptown and the historic district — could conceivably secure about 882 votes. If the remaining votes are split between Ashe and Richardson, dividing much of the Black vote, Zajac could surpass the 50 percent threshold and win the election outright, eliminating the need for a runoff.

That is why some community leaders and observers have raised a straightforward question: Which candidate has the strongest path to victory?

It is not an easy conversation, but it is a necessary one.

The broader question facing District 7 voters is whether this moment will be defined by expanded choice or effective representation. Is the objective to field as many candidates as possible, or to position the community to win?

Political landscapes can still shift. Conversations can still take place. Alliances can still form before the ballots are cast. But time has a way of narrowing options.

And one important fact should not be overlooked: District 7 is 68 percent Black and has never elected a city council representative who reflects that majority.

If unity once seemed within reach but now appears to be slipping away, the voters of District 7 must decide whether they are willing to repeat a familiar cycle — one in which division, rather than collective will, determines the outcome. The question now is not simply who will run, but whether the community will recognize the moment before the opportunity passes.