{"id":16231,"date":"2025-06-05T16:11:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=16231"},"modified":"2025-06-05T16:11:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:11:30","slug":"make-history-toledo-why-writing-in-harold-harris-could-be-a-game-changer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/05\/make-history-toledo-why-writing-in-harold-harris-could-be-a-game-changer\/","title":{"rendered":"Make History, Toledo: Why Writing in HAROLD HARRIS Could Be a Game-Changer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Asia Nail<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>The Truth Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This November, voters have a rare chance to write a new chapter\u2014literally.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What if I told you that <em>one pen\u2014yours\u2014could change the future of an entire city?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This November, Toledo voters have a unique opportunity. You won\u2019t see his name printed on the ballot. But if you\u2019re paying attention around town, you\u2019ve definitely seen the signs:<br \/>\n<strong>\u201cWrite In HAROLD HARRIS for Mayor.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>HAROLD HARRIS isn\u2019t your typical candidate. He\u2019s not part of the political machine. He\u2019s a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, a lifelong Toledoan, and a man who says this race isn\u2019t about power\u2014it\u2019s about people.<\/p>\n<p>And if you think a write-in candidate can\u2019t win? <strong>Think again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Yes, Write-In Candidates <em>Have<\/em> Won Before<\/h3>\n<p>Across the country, underdog write-ins have pulled off stunning victories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lisa Murkowski<\/strong> (Alaska) made U.S. history in 2010 when she won re-election to the U.S. Senate as a <em>write-in<\/em>\u2014one of the only people in American history to do it statewide.<\/li>\n<li>In <strong>Pocomoke City, Maryland, Chuck Moore<\/strong> forgot to file his paperwork\u2014but the people loved him so much, they wrote in his name and made him mayor anyway.<\/li>\n<li>In 2021, a man named <strong>Calvin Brown <\/strong>won a seat on the city council in Arkansas as a write-in after voters said, \u201cWe trust him. Period.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of those races had one thing in common: The people didn\u2019t wait for permission. They showed up, wrote the name in, and changed the game.<\/p>\n<p>Now it\u2019s Toledo\u2019s turn. And the name to write? <strong>HAROLD HARRIS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>One Name to Remember<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Write-in campaigns aren\u2019t just rare\u2014they\u2019re hard. But Harold Harris is ready for the challenge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I\u2019ll have to work twice as hard just to get the word out,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s okay. I\u2019m not afraid of hard work. And if enough people believe in this vision, we can do something historic together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He knows many people have never written in a name on a ballot before, and he wants to make it as simple as possible. \u201cWhen you get to the section for mayor, just take your time, and write in: <strong>HAROLD HARRIS<\/strong>. First name, last name. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s how we make this real.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A Veteran for the People<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When I asked HAROLD HARRIS what made him decide to run, he didn\u2019t talk about power or politics. He talked about everyday people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t plan on this,\u201d he said. \u201cI am retired. But folks kept coming up to me\u2014neighbors, community members\u2014and saying, \u2018Harold, you should run. We need someone we trust in office.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harold Harris served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam, peacetime and Gulf War eras. After that, he worked a variety of jobs, then retired fully. But when he looked around our city, the one he was born in and has lived in for over 60 years, he said he couldn\u2019t stay quiet any longer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve seen parts of Toledo that have been left behind,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen people asking for help and not getting answers. I knew I had to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16232 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Harold-Harris-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Harold-Harris-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Harold-Harris-370x245.jpg 370w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Harold-Harris.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Not Just a Mayor\u2014The <em>People\u2019s<\/em> Mayor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Harold Harris calls himself \u201cThe People\u2019s Mayor,\u201d and he means it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you write in my name, you\u2019re hiring me to do a job,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd my job is to work for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wants to bring leadership that\u2019s about listening, not lecturing. Service, not status.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo many politicians forget who they work for,\u201d he said. \u201cIf the people put me in, I\u2019m showing up for them\u2014every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Real Plans, Real Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>What will he focus on first?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gun violence and community safety<\/strong>. \u201cMany neighborhoods sound like war zones. That\u2019s not normal,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need officers who build relationships, not just respond to crime.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Better roads, not just in wealthy neighborhoods<\/strong>. \u201cEveryone deserves safe, drivable streets.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transparency in spending<\/strong>. \u201cThe people deserve to know where every dollar goes.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And above all, <strong>a mayor who sees and serves everyone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>A Campaign for All<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Harold Harris wants voters to know\u2014this isn\u2019t just about one part of town. It\u2019s not about one race, one income level, or one group of people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether you live in Old Orchard or the East Side, whether you\u2019re Black, White, Latino, Asian\u2014this city belongs to all of us,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t look at skin color. I look at people. And I believe we can do better\u2014for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>W<strong>hy It Matters Right Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest: people are tired. Tired of broken promises. Tired of feeling like nothing ever changes. But HAROLD HARRIS believes this election is different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is your moment,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how we take the city back. One vote at a time. One name at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All it takes is <strong>writing in HAROLD HARRIS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s it. No special form. No complicated process.<\/p>\n<p>Just these simple words on your ballot:<br \/>\n<strong>HAROLD HARRIS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Be Part of the Movement<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>You can do more than vote. You can tell a friend. Call your auntie. Text your cousins. Post it online. Put it in the group chat. Remind people:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey<strong>, <\/strong>don\u2019t forget\u2014you have to physically write in HAROLD HARRIS for Mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because this election isn\u2019t just about politics\u2014it\u2019s about <strong>power<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<em>Your power<\/em>.<br \/>\n<em>Our power<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>And if enough of us rise up and write his name in, we won\u2019t just be casting votes\u2014we\u2019ll be making history.<\/p>\n<p><em>Learn more about the campaign and how to write in <strong>HAROLD HARRIS<\/strong> at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/haroldharrisfortoledo.com\/\"><em>haroldharrisfortoledo.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Asia Nail The Truth Reporter This November, voters have a rare chance to write a new chapter\u2014literally. What if I told you that one pen\u2014yours\u2014could change the future of an entire city? This November, Toledo voters have a unique opportunity. You won\u2019t see his name printed on the ballot. But if you\u2019re paying attention [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[250],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[296],"class_list":["post-16231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16233,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231\/revisions\/16233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16231"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=16231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}