Cincinnati City Councilmember Meeka Owens won the Hamilton County Commissioner race on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Jonathan Pearson.
Owens received 60.9% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Independent write-in candidate Carrie Davis also appeared on the ballot, according to WCPO. Local 12 reported Pearson finished with about 39%. Independent Carrie Davis also ran as a write-in candidate.
Unofficial results — Hamilton County Commissioner (Nov. 3, 2026)
Candidate | Party | Vote share | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
Meeka Owens | Democratic | 60.95% | 198,464 |
Jonathan Pearson | Republican | 38.89% | 126,640 |
Carrie Davis | Independent (write-in) | 0.17% | 538 |
Source: Unofficial results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer and Local 12. Results have not been certified.
The three-member commission handles county budgets, taxation and infrastructure. Those decisions affect taxes and county services for Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout residents.
Owens, an Avondale native, joined Cincinnati City Council in 2022 and chairs the council's Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, the Enquirer reported. She campaigned on housing affordability, economic development and public safety, according to WCPO.
The margin was wide.
"What's at stake is how we live affordably in this county and this is a county that belongs to all of us," Owens told supporters at a Democratic watch party on election night, clad in her signature pink, the Enquirer reported.
Owens will begin a four-year term in January. She joins Commissioners Denise Driehaus and Alicia Reece on the all-Democratic board.
Her path to the general election ran through a contested Democratic primary in May, where she defeated incumbent Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas. Owens had said the seat had been driven by "ego, not outcomes," saying there was focus on "the personal attacks, the disputes" instead of the work, WCPO reported.
Pearson, a small business owner from Fairfax who runs a landscaping and maintenance company, had run for commissioner two years earlier, Local 12 reported. He said at the time he ran to protest the county's deal for the downtown stadiums.
Each commissioner earned $115,431 last year, according to the Enquirer. The commission also manages county Jobs and Family Services and negotiates leases for facilities the county owns, including Paycor Stadium and Great American Ball Park.
No concession or post-election statement from Pearson appeared in available reporting as of Nov. 4. Certified results will be posted by the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
