A more progressive wing of the Hamilton County Democratic Party hopes to reshape the party.
But first, they have about 150 elections to win this May.
The Cincy Precinct Project is a group of Democrats who say the county party is unresponsive to the needs of everyday people and beholden to corporations in choosing which issues and candidates to back. The project has recruited 150 people to run for precinct executives in their neighborhoods, with the ultimate goal of creating a progressive caucus within the party to evaluate its elected officials and candidates.
The project was created by Jack Cunningham, a 28-year-old political organizer who also worked on Rank the Vote Ohio and Fair Share for Cincy, groups that sought ranked-choice voting and a stronger say in regional transit, respectively.
Hamilton County Democratic Party Chair Alex Linser sees the movement as a natural result of Democrats gaining more power within Hamilton County. Outside of Cincinnati’s all-Democratic city council, nearly every nonjudicial current county official is a Democrat; the party has recently made gains on boards in suburban Cincinnati, long a Republican stronghold.
“There’s a lot more interest in the role because the party has become more successful,” Linser told The Enquirer. “That’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.”
What is a precinct executive?
There are about 560 precincts in Hamilton County. Roughly 127 precincts have contested races this May.
Precinct executives make up the central committee of the county party, which votes on party leadership, campaigns for endorsed candidates and makes appointments if a county elected position is vacated.
Through regular meetings and roundtables, as well as social media outreach, Cunningham said the Cincy Precinct Project recruited 150 people to run for precinct executive, including 50 candidates in uncontested races.
Linser said the party has a lot more people running for precinct executive than he’s ever seen before, but doesn’t entirely attribute it to the Cincy Precinct Project.
“There is an upswell in people who want to be involved in the Democratic side for the first time,” he said.
What does the Cincy Precinct Project want?
Cunningham, who’s served as a precinct executive since 2018, doesn’t believe the party is doing enough to make sure there is an “actual decision-making process” when it comes to endorsements or who serves on committees within the party.
He does not want the party to endorse in primaries and hopes that a “unified block” of progressives within the party could decide which candidates and issues to rally behind.
Cunningham said he has not heard from any elected Democratic officials about the project but that the group has a “cordial relationship” with Linser, who came to speak at one of their meetings.
“We have made very clear with our intentions that we’re not here to burn things down. We want to meaningfully build up a better Democratic Party. We see so many things are not being addressed, and we feel that once we get all these people in, we can have meaningful discussions about process, bylaws changes, leadership changes, if need be, but most importantly, building a better protection for the people of Hamilton County,” he said.
Preston Polen, a 26-year-old teacher who lives in Northside, said he wishes that local Democrats would focus more on affordability, expanding rail transportation, prioritizing new government housing projects and granting fewer long-term tax abatements for development.
“This is not radical,” he said. “You can use government money to, instead of building a bunch of bombs, build a bunch of buildings.”
Sara Bloomer, a 45-year-old who lives in Miamitown, said she wants the party’s endorsement decisions to be based on which candidate aligns most with party values or has the most experience in a community, instead of fundraising or connections.
What does party leadership make of this?
Linser said the party’s decisions are a reflection of those who make up the central committee, which he said includes activists, elected officials, labor leaders, state leaders, LGBTQ+ leaders and “all the folks who make up the Democratic coalition.”
He said engaging young people is “always a challenge” for any political organization, but noted that the Hamilton County Democratic Party has the largest Young Democrats chapter in the state.
Linser said the discussion of whether to endorse is one of the most controversial the party has and he doesn’t believe the party should have a blanket policy.
“When you do that, you remove the ability for human judgment to be a part of the decision-making factors. Instead we just have to embrace our democratic process and get together, debate and make a decision and then go forward as a team,” he said.
Linser said the party has recruited around 300 precinct executives ahead of the primary election.
It was not so long ago that Republicans controlled Hamilton County, Linser said, adding that many longtime party members have done “incredible work” not just in Cincinnati but in places like Harrison Township and Cheviot.
“We have made steady gains over the years and now we’re starting to see the fruits of that labor. but adding more people and more voices to the table is only going to make the party stronger,” Linser said.
To learn more about your precinct executive candidate, look for your neighborhood here.
The primary election is May 5. Early voting started on April 7. To check your voter registration or find your polling location, visit VoteOhio.gov.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is the Cincy Precinct Project? Inside the new Democratic group
Reporting by Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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