Marian Harris (D-Columbus) is thanking supporters and saying she hopes she can win the trust of those who didn't vote for her after she has now won her race for state representative of Ohio's 19th House district. 

"Now that the election is finally over and the results are in, I would like to thank all those that voted for me," Harris said in a release. "For those that did not vote for me, I hope I can win your trust and represent you in a way that best serves the community."

Harris said that she would be sure to listen to opinions that didn't necessarily match her own. 

"We may not always agree on issues but I will always listen to your ideas, be responsive to your concerns and do all I can to represent the District in a way that you can be proud of," Harris said. "We are facing difficult times which affect all of us directly or indirectly, as individuals, as families and as a community. The budget process will be daunting with massive deficits to be dealt with and hard choices to be made. Education and health care are part of the agenda that will challenge us all as legislators. Working together, we can hopefully work through these times and celebrate good times in the not too distant future."

Harris declared victory in what turned out to be Franklin County's closest race on Election Day, winning Democrats their 53rd seat in the Ohio House in the upcoming 128th General Assembly. 

"Many paid little attention to my race until after most of the votes were counted," Harris said. "But my dedicated supporters stuck with me throughout this battle, and that is why we were able to win."

Harris won 45 percent of the vote against state Rep. Larry Flowers (R-Canal Winchester) in 2006. She led outgoing Franklin Co. coroner Brad Lewis by 40 votes after election night. 

The final results were put on hold by an ongoing court battle over approximately 1,000 contested provisional ballots from throughout Franklin County. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled last Friday that those ballots should not be counted, but the remaining provisional ballots could not be opened and counted until a final ruling was made.

Harris' campaign said that Lewis called to congratulate the Representative-elect, whose 735 vote victory landed outside the .5% margin needed to initiate an automatic recount. 

 "It is obvious that voters in my district are tired of the way our nation and our state have been doing business, and I am ready to deliver the change they are looking for from their elected officials," Harris said. "I am excited and proud to have the honor of representing the 19th District at the Statehouse, and I can't wait to get to work."

Harris has served as an aide to former Democratic U.S. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum and was chief of the Office of Family Support Services in the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities under former Gov. Richard Celeste (D).