Columbus mayor's race now has a second candidate as Hugley challenger emerges
The nonpartisan election for Columbus mayor will be May 19, 2026. The qualifying period will begin March 2 at 9 a.m. and finish March 6 at noon.
Here are the candidates who have filed with the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration their declaration of intention to accept campaign contributions. This list will be updated as more candidates file their declaration.
A former Republican candidate for Muscogee County sheriff is now in the Columbus mayoral race.
Mark LaJoye, who has run for sheriff and lost five times, filed his paperwork July 11 to be a candidate for mayor.
He lost to John Darr in 2008 and 2012, Donna Tompkins in 2016 and Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman in 2020 and 2024.
LaJoye served in the U.S. Army for 40 years and worked for the Columbus Police Department for 13 years. He earned a master's of law degree from St. Louis University, and a bachelor's and an associate's degree in criminal justice from Troy University, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.
LaJoye hopes to focus on issues including community safety, fiscal responsibility, transparency and infrastructure, he told the Ledger-Enquirerin an email July 14. He wants to lead with transparency and help manage the city's 'recovery from scandal and questionable standards.'
'My disappointment in our current leaders has driven me to this mayoral race,' LaJoye said. 'I'm called to serve. I uphold the high standards I was raised with, have served by, and continue to practice both personally and as Mayor of Columbus, Georgia.'
Former city manager Isaiah Hugley filed his declaration of intention July 10 for the 2026 mayoral race.
Hugley was the first Black city manager and the longest-serving city or county manager in Columbus history before the Columbus Council voted 7-3 to fire him May 27. He worked for the Columbus Consolidated Government for 41 years, including 20 years as city manager.
If successful, Hugley would be the first elected Black mayor of Columbus. He also would be the third member of his family elected to public office in Columbus, following his wife, state Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), and his sister, Pat Hugley Green, the District 1 representative and chairwoman of the Muscogee County School Board.
'Please know that my Declaration of Intent filing today is intended to be a clear message to the citizens of Columbus,' Hugley wrote to the Ledger-Enquirer in a text message July 10. 'It's time for leadership that listens, innovates and unites. My vision is simple but bold — a Columbus that works for everyone. Now the work begins!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Get rid of mail-in voting? Trump goal sparks debate, threatened lawsuits
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's latest push to end absentee voting has ignited a firestorm of criticism and intense debate about the nation's election rules as the next midterm and presidential campaigns kick into gear. Election-law experts said a president has no role in governing elections. Advocacy groups threatened lawsuits aiming to block Trump. And Democrats braced for a political fight heading into the 2026 and 2028 election cycles as they look to rebound after a disastrous 2024 campaign. 'The Constitution gives states and Congress the power to run elections," said Michael Waldman, CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "Presidents have no lawful role.' But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Aug. 19 that Trump would work with lawmakers to end mail-in voting because "this is a priority for the president." Here's what you need to know: How popular is mail-in voting? Mail-in voting is widespread and popular. Out of 155 million votes cast in 2024, nearly 47 million were mailed in, according to the Election Assistance Commission. Most states allow absentee voting for no reason, but some states require an excuse to avoid showing up in person. Eight states and Washington, DC, allow elections to be conducted entirely by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington state mail ballots to all registered voters. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said vote-by-mail elections are secure, accurate and honest. 'If he actually understood or cared about the American people, he'd know mail-in-voting is the best way to protect everyone's right to vote, especially rural folks, elderly people and hourly workers,' Read said. 'Mail-in-voting meets citizens exactly where they are: in their living rooms and around their kitchen tables.' Trump seeks to end mail-in voting Trump said Aug. 18 he would sign an executive order to abolish mail-in voting, which he slammed as vulnerable to fraud. Trump has long complained about absentee voting, since before the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down many in-person events. 'We're going to end mail-in voting," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's a fraud." Trump's announcement came while special House races are pending in Arizona and Tennessee; New Jersey and Virginia will be choosing governors in November this year; and some big-city mayors will be chosen in New York and elsewhere. The whole country will be voting on House races and one-third of the Senate 2026, and for president in 2028. Despite Trump's claims, election experts said voting is the most secure in history. "As we have said repeatedly, our election infrastructure has never been more secure and the election community never better prepared to deliver safe, secure, free and fair elections for the American people," Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said after the 2024 election. David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, which works with election officials of both parties to ensure secure elections, said ballots are the most verifiable and recountable in history with only Louisiana not voting on paper. Audits confirm the results, he said. And Congress approved ID requirements to register to vote in the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which followed the razor-thin victory of President George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000. Trump, Democrats expect political fight over mail-in ballots Trump argued the 2020 presidential result was rigged after what his aides called a "red mirage" of an Election Day lead disappeared as mail-in ballots were counted and Joe Biden won the White House. "I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS," Trump said in a social media post Aug. 18 advocating an end to mail-in voting. During the 2024 campaign, Republicans supported mail-in voting to avoid handing Democrats an advantage even as Trump occasionally criticized them. But the GOP sought an Election Day deadline for mailed ballots to be counted. Leavitt said the White House will work with lawmakers at federal and state levels to change the law. 'When the Congress comes back to Washington, I'm sure there will be many discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill and also our friends in state Legislatures across the country to ensure we're protecting the integrity of the vote for the American people," Leavitt said. But Democrats vowed to fight Trump efforts to undermine mail-in voting. While Republicans in the House could potentially approve a bill, it would face a steep challenge in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster and where the GOP holds a 53-47 majority. 'Senate Democrats will make sure that any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate and will continue to fight to protect our democracy," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. Experts: States control election rules, not presidents The Constitution unambiguously says states regulate elections and only Congress can change that, Becker said. 'Getting rid of mail voting, which has been around since at least the U.S. Civil War, and which is offered by the vast majority of states, red and blue, is an incredibly bad idea that would make our elections much less secure and vulnerable to interference,' said Becker, a former election lawyer at the Justice Department. 'He has zero power to change election policy with the swipe of the pen, as the founders expressly stated.' Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, said Trump "has no constitutional authority to end mail voting by executive order." "The Framers of the U.S. Constitution took care to keep the main responsibility for administering elections with the states and localities, which are in no way mere 'agents' of federal authorities," Olson said. Advocacy groups expect lawsuits if Trump moves against mail-in voting Federal courts have repeatedly recognized the state role in elections, including when a judge largley blocked Trump's March executive order dealing with elections. In Massachusetts, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, an appointee of President Barack Obama, blocked parts of Trump's order that sought to require voters to prove they are citizens and to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots after Election Day. Trump is appealing. "The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections," Casper wrote. Advocacy groups said getting rid of mail-in voting could discourage millions of people who appreciate the flexiblity of avoiding voting in person on Election Day. "Many veterans, grappling with service-related disabilities like mobility impairments or PTSD, rely on this accessible method to vote independently and privately from home, avoiding the physical and emotional toll of in-person polling," said Naveed Shah, political director for Common Defense, a group representing military veterans and their families. Advocates from several groups expected lawsuits to challenge any Trump order seeking to abolish mail-in voting. 'We are prepared to protect mail-in voting in court against unfounded and unconstitutional attacks, as we have in Pennsylvania, Mississippi and other states,' said Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project. 'Access to mail-in voting is necessary to a fair and inclusive electoral process.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump goal to abolish mail-in voting sparks debate for next elections
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Marjorie Taylor Greene Defends Boyfriend For Asking Inane Questions About Zelenskyy's Suit
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) came to the defense of her reporter boyfriend after he was criticized for asking meaningless questions during yesterday's press meeting with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Brian Glenn, a reporter for Real America's Voice, went viral on Monday after complimenting Zelenskyy for wearing a suit, a callback to him questioning the Ukraine leader's style choices earlier this year. During Monday's exchange, Glenn complimented Zelenskyy's suit, only to be shaded when the former comedian-turned-president snarked back, 'You're in the same suit. You see, I changed mine.' Besides being mocked on social media, Glenn was criticized by other White House correspondents at the event. 'Many of the questions aren't designed to get answers, but to create another confrontation or make Trump look good,' one correspondent told CNN. Glenn retweeted a RawStory article about the CNN comments and claimed the shade was 'coming from a WH media that coddled Joe Biden and lied about President Trump,' and insisted 'I couldn't give a rats ass if they don't like me.' Glenn got some snarky responses to the post, but he did get support from at least one person: Greene herself. 'The White House press core under Joe Biden, never asked tough questions,' she said on her personal X account. 'During tyrannical Covid lockdowns and the highest inflation since the 1970s, the best they could muster up was what flavor ice cream he liked.' But if Greene expected to change the narrative towards her boyfriend, she was sadly mistaken. Related... Zelenskyy Gets Snarky After Marjorie Taylor Greene's Boyfriend Remarks On His Suit CNN Pundit Slams Zelenskyy For Not Wearing A Tie — But An Expert Makes This Damning Point
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Sherrod Brown raises $3.6 million in 24 hours for Senate campaign
Former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown raised $3.6 million in the 24 hours since he announced Monday that he would challenge Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) next year, according to his campaign. The number sends a strong signal that Democratic donors are willing to give more than a year before the midterm elections as Democrats attempt to retake control of the Senate.
