Marian Harris is a Democratic politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2009 - 2010, representing the 19th district. A former

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and aide to United States Senator Howard Metzenbaum, Harris ran against Representative

Larry L. Flowers Larry L. Flowers is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 19th District from 2001 to 2008. He currently is serving as the fire marshal for the state of Ohio. External linksThe Ohio Senate - Larry L ...

in 2006 for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. Although unsuccessful in her first attempt, Harris performed better than what was expected, coming very close to ousting Flowers. As a result, she tried again for the seat two years later, in 2008. With Flowers out of the seat due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

, Harris was seen as a potential victor in obtaining a seat that had been held long by

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, including former Republican

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Jo Ann Davidson. Harris faced newcomer Brad Lewis, in the general election, in what became a very contested race. The race wasn't decided until a month after election day. After all provisional ballots had been tallied, Harris was announced the winner over Lewis by 735 votes. She went on to take her seat on January 5, 2009. In the House, Harris was often one of the more liberal members of the delegation, supporting labor, anti-bias,

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, children's issues and other Democratic initiatives. As a result, Harris quickly became a top tier target for Republicans for the 2010 cycle. For their candidate, Republicans ran Anne Gonzales a popular mayor of Westerville, Ohio with conservative credentials. Again, Harris was in one of the more contested and closest watched races of the year. Within an overwhelmingly Republican year, Harris was defeated by Gonzales, and the Democrats lost their majority in the Ohio House. As a result, Harris was a one-term Representative. Following her defeat, Harris remained in Columbus, where she is working to elect other Democratic candidates and serving as co-president of the National Council of Jewish Women Columbus while looking for employment. Harris entered the 2017 race for the Columbus City Council, but withdrew her nomination in February 2017.

References

External links

The Ohio Ladies' Gallery: Rep. Marrian Harris (D-Columbus)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Marian Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Women state legislators in Ohio 1941 births Living people National Council of Jewish Women 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Mount Holyoke College alumni