COLUMBUS, Ohio—A new perspective has entered the arena in Ohio’s state capital as Samantha Baker announced her people-powered candidacy for mayor of Columbus in the 2027 election.
Surrounded by supporters at Slammer’s Bar and Grill in downtown Columbus Friday night, Sept. 11, Baker said, “We deserve to be able to afford to live and eat and work in the city we call home. We, the working-class people of Columbus, deserve to have a city that works for us. This campaign is about taking our future into our own hands and fighting for the Columbus that we deserve.”
Baker has been a constant fixture of progressive movements in central Ohio in recent years as part of Ohio Divest’s “No New Bonds” campaign against the city and state’s investments in Israel Bonds, as an organizer with No Ohio Anduril Plant (NOAP) opposing the manufacturing of AI weapons on the south side of the city, as an advocate for affordable housing at city council, and in other movements.
If elected, Baker would be the first female and first openly queer-identifying mayor of Columbus.
“What I appreciate most about Sam is that she shows up for the working people of this city. Sam Baker always shows up,” remarked Kat Finneran with the Buckeye Environmental Network and NOAP.
Baker was supported by representatives of the Columbus Education Association, the Communist Party USA, Democratic Socialists of America, NOAP, American Muslims for Palestine, Ohio Divest, Buckeye Environmental Network, the National Writers Union, and other area organizations and community members.
Anita Waters, National Organizing Secretary of the Communist Party USA, pointed to Baker’s deep roots in progressive movements in the city. “Sam Baker comes from a working-class background and brings tremendous experience organizing in our community.”
Multiple speakers preceded Baker’s appearance and expressed the need for working-class representation in city government and a change to the status quo.
“Teachers in Columbus need an ally in the mayor’s office, one who will stop giving away tax dollars to real estate developers and start funding our public school system,” said Darrin, a teacher with Columbus City Schools.
Baker laid out the motivations for her campaign.
“For the past decade, we’ve seen our current mayor and city council sell out the working-class people of this city to enrich themselves and to keep their campaign donors happy,” she charged.
“We’ve seen the effects of a corrupt city budget being used to militarize a police force that brutalizes people of color, our LGBTQ+ community, and our immigrant neighbors. These same people that made these decisions are running for office again on a platform of change. How can we believe they’ll enact change for our benefit when their own track record proves otherwise?”
Baker’s announcement was received with celebration. Local folk musicians The Gadflies welcomed supporters with a mix of labor movement standards and popular sing-alongs that set the tone for an inclusive and optimistic evening. A crowd of supporters lingered late into the evening.
The campaign is planning townhall meetings at local libraries around the city and is inviting everyone to come out and participate in discussions around next year’s mayoral election. The next townhall is at the Northern Lights Library, Meeting Room 2, on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Baker pointed to the building of a broader community movement as the next big step for her campaign.
“We can build the future that the working-class people here in Columbus want to see,” she said.
“We can divest from mass surveillance and weapons manufacturing. We can reinvest that money in education, housing, healthcare, public transportation, and so much more. We can build the future we want to see. But it’s going to take all of us—our friends, our families, our neighbors.”
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