# 2021 Cleveland mayoral election

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The 2021 Cleveland mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. The election was officially nonpartisan, with the top two candidates from the September 14 primary election advancing to the general election, regardless of party. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Frank G. Jackson was eligible to run for reelection to a fifth term, but instead chose to retire. Justin Bibb was elected the 58th mayor of Cleveland in the general election.

## Candidates
### Winner

| Candidate | | Announced |
| Justin Bibb | Nonprofit executive | January 12, 2021 (Website) |

### Advanced to general

| Candidate | | Announced |
| Kevin Kelley | President of Cleveland City Council since 2014 Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 13 since 2005 | April 8, 2021 (Website) |

### Eliminated in primary

| Candidate | | Announced |
| Ross DiBello | Attorney | October 29, 2020 (Website) |
| Basheer Jones | Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 7 since 2018 | May 6, 2021 (Website Archived June 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine) |
| Dennis Kucinich | Former Mayor of Cleveland (1977–1979) Former U.S. representative from Ohio's 10th congressional district (1997–2013) Candidate for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008 Candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2018 | June 14, 2021 (Website) |
| Zack Reed | Candidate for Mayor of Cleveland in 2017 Former Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 13 (2000–2017) | March 22, 2021 (Website) |
| Sandra Williams | Ohio State Senator from the 21st district since 2015 Ohio State Representative from the 11th district (2007–2014) | May 3, 2021 (Website) |

### Withdrew

* Landry McNord Simmons Jr., Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff and Cuyahoga County Republican Party committee member

### Disqualified

* James Jerome Bell, realtor and perennial candidate
* Michael J. Chal
* Michael F. Kilbane
* Arthur O. Kostendt
* Keyshawn Dwayne Varnado
* Anthony Lee Wilson
* Latorya Jean Witcher

### Declined

* Dan Brady, former president of Cuyahoga County Council, former state senator, and former city council member
* Blaine Griffin, city council member (running for re-election)
* Frank G. Jackson, incumbent mayor (endorsed Kelley)
* Dick Knoth, partner at BakerHostetler
* Martin J. Sweeney, Cuyahoga County council member, former president of Cleveland City Council, and former state representative
* Matt Zone, former city council member

## Primary election
### Campaign

Ross DiBello became the first candidate to declare his intention to run on October 29, 2020. The next announcement came on January 12, 2021, when Justin Bibb became the second candidate to enter the race. In March, Zack Reed announced his second campaign for mayor after his unsuccessful run in 2017, followed by Kevin Kelley and Landry M. Simmons in April, and Sandra Williams in May.
On May 6, 2021, after much speculation, incumbent mayor Frank G. Jackson announced that he would not seek a fifth term. Jackson's announcement brought new interest to the race, as it suddenly became the first mayoral election in Cleveland since 2001 without an incumbent. Later the same day, Basheer Jones entered the race.
Dennis Kucinich, a longtime presence in Cleveland politics who had been rumored to be considering a run, announced his candidacy on June 14, 2021, two days before the deadline for submitting signatures to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Landry M. Simmons withdrew his candidacy after failing to reach the requisite 3,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot. Although municipal elections in Cleveland are officially nonpartisan, all seven qualified candidates were members of the Democratic Party.
A number of issues were debated by the candidates throughout the campaign. Every candidate except DiBello labeled crime as the preeminent issue of the race, which had reached record levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a 24% increase in assaults with firearms compared to 2020. Another major issue was poverty, due to Cleveland's status as the poorest major city in the United States. The issues of economic development, education, and government accountability and accessibility were also given attention, the latter in particular received emphasis due to the conviction of longtime Cleveland City Councilman Ken Johnson in late July 2021 on federal corruption charges as well as the Ohio nuclear bribery scandal.
In the primary, Justin Bibb placed first and Kevin Kelley placed second, sending both candidates to the November 2, 2021 general election. The result came as somewhat of an upset, mainly due to the unexpected weakness of Dennis Kucinich who came in third despite polling placing him in first.
The primary's 16.2% voter turnout was the highest for a mayoral primary in Cleveland since 2005.

### Endorsements

State legislators
* Charles L. Butts, former Ohio State Senator from District 23 (1975–1990)
* Casey Weinstein, Ohio State Representative from District 37 (2019-present)
Local officials
* Kerry McCormack, Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 3 (2016-present)
* Jay Westbrook, former President of Cleveland City Council (1990–1999), former Cleveland City Councilman (1980–2013)
* Michael R. White, former Mayor of Cleveland (1990–2002)
Individuals
* Connie Schultz, writer and journalist
Organizations
* Cleveland Stonewall Democrats
* The Collective PAC
* Our Revolution
* Run for Something
Newspapers
* The Plain Dealer
* Frank G. Jackson, incumbent Mayor of Cleveland (2006-present)
Labor unions
* International Association of Fire Fighters Local 93
* United Association Local 55
Federal politicians
* Mary Rose Oakar, former U.S. Representative for Ohio's 20th congressional district (1977–1993)
Individuals
* Brandon Chrostowski, CEO of Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute, candidate for mayor in 2017
Labor unions
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Power in Action
* Teamsters Ohio DRIVE Committee
* North Shore AFL–CIO
* Ohio State Council of Machinists (OSCM)
State legislators
* Nickie Antonio, Ohio State Senator from District 23 (2019–present)
* Janine Boyd, Ohio State Representative from District 9 (2015–present)
* Juanita Brent, Ohio State Representative from District 12 (2019–present)
* Tavia Galonski, Ohio State Representative from District 35 (2017–present)
* Stephanie Howse, Ohio State Representative from District 11 (2015–present)
* Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator and former Cleveland City Councilwoman
* Kenny Yuko, Ohio State Senator from District 25 (2015–present); Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate (2017–present)
County officials
* Armond Budish, Cuyahoga County Executive (2015–present)
Organizations
* EMILY's List
Labor unions
* Service Employees International Union District 1199

### Debates

2021 Cleveland mayoral election debates :
| No. | Date & Time | Host(s) | Moderator(s) | Link | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants |
| Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Bibb | DiBello | Jones | Kelley | Kucinich | Reed | Williams |
| 1 | August 10, 2021 7:30 p.m. EDT | WVIZ WCPN | Rick Jackson Nick Castele | Video | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | August 17, 2021 7:30 p.m. EDT | WVIZ WCPN | Rick Jackson Nick Castele | Video | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Justin Bibb | Ross DiBello | Blaine Griffin | Basheer Jones | Kevin Kelley | Dick Knoth | Dennis Kucinich | Zack Reed | Sandra Williams | Undecided |
| Change Research (D) | August 3–8, 2021 | 451 (LV) | ± 5.2% | 12% | 1% | – | 11% | 13% | – | 20% | 12% | 8% | 21% |
| Baldwin Wallace University | March 15 – April 22, 2021 | 421 (A) | ± 5.0% | 5% | 1% | 5% | 13% | 6% | 2% | 18% | 9% | 7% | 48% |
| RABA Research | December 29–30, 2020 | 505 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 2% | – | 6% | 5% | 10% | – | 25% | 13% | 7% | 32% |

### Results

Primary election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Justin Bibb | 10,901 | 27.22% |
| | Nonpartisan | Kevin Kelley | 7,702 | 19.23% |
| | Nonpartisan | Dennis Kucinich | 6,595 | 16.47% |
| | Nonpartisan | Zack Reed | 4,840 | 12.08% |
| | Nonpartisan | Basheer Jones | 4,801 | 11.99% |
| | Nonpartisan | Sandra Williams | 4,472 | 11.42% |
| | Nonpartisan | Ross DiBello | 639 | 1.60% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 40,172 | 100.00 |

## General election
### Campaign

Due to both primary winners finding their strongest support in the West Side of Cleveland, both campaigns paid significant attention to the predominantly African-American East Side, where although Bibb was the best performing candidate, a majority of voters cast ballots for candidates other than Bibb or Kelley in the primary. On September 29, the two former East Side mayoral candidates Zack Reed and Basheer Jones made endorsements for Bibb and Kelley, respectively.
Bibb campaigned as a progressive who would change how the city works as mayor, while Kelley presented himself as a moderate and experienced politician who would be prepared to lead from the start of his tenure.
Bibb and Kelley delineated themselves heavily over Issue 24, a proposed amendment to the city charter of Cleveland that went to voters on the same ballot as the mayoral election, which would implement greater civilian oversight of the Cleveland Police Department. Bibb favored the initiative as a way to create accountability while Kelley rejected it as a danger which could potentially lead to an exodus of officers from the department. On election day, the issue would pass with 32,184 votes in favor and 21,972 votes against.

### Endorsements

Endorsements in bold were made after the primary election.
Federal legislators
* Sherrod Brown, United States Senator from Ohio (2007-present)
State legislators
* Nickie Antonio, Ohio State Senator from District 23 (2019-present)
* Charles L. Butts, former Ohio State Senator from District 23 (1975–1990)
* Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator from District 25 (2008-2014)
* Casey Weinstein, Ohio State Representative from District 37 (2019-present)
* Sandra Williams, Ohio State Senator from District 25 (2015-present), candidate for mayor in 2021
County officials
* Dale Miller, Cuyahoga County Councilman for District 2 (2011-present), former Ohio State Senator from District 23 (2006-2010)
* Martin J. Sweeney, Cuyahoga County Councilman for District 3 (2021-present), former Ohio State Representative from District 14 (2015-2018), former president of Cleveland City Council (2006-2014)
Local officials
* Jane L. Campbell, former Mayor of Cleveland (2002-2006)
* Jeff Johnson, former Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 10 (2014-2018) and Ward 8 (1984-1989, 2010-2013), former Ohio State Senator from District 21 (1990-1998), candidate for mayor in 2017
* Teamsters Ohio DRIVE Committee
* Michael R. White, former Mayor of Cleveland (1990-2002)
Individuals
* Otis Moss Jr., pastor and activist
* Connie Schultz, writer and journalist
Organizations
* Cleveland Stonewall Democrats
* Our Revolution
* Run for Something
Labor Unions
* American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Power in Action
* Service Employees International Union District 1199
* Service Employees International Union Local 1
* United Auto Workers Northeast Ohio Community Action Program Council
Newspapers and publications
* The Plain Dealer
* Frank G. Jackson, incumbent Mayor of Cleveland (2006-present)
Labor unions
* International Association of Fire Fighters Local 93
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 507
* International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18
* United Association Local 55

### Debates

2021 Cleveland mayoral election debates :
| No. | Date & Time | Host(s) | Moderator(s) | Link | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants |
| Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Key: P Participant  N Non-invitee  I Invitee | Bibb | Kelley |
| 1 | October 11, 2021 7:30 p.m. EDT | WVIZ WCPN | Rick Jackson Nick Castele Lawrence Daniel Caswell Elizabeth McIntyre | Video | P | P |

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Justin Bibb | Kevin Kelley | Undecided |
| Baldwin Wallace University | September 27 – October 8, 2021 | 419 (RV) | ± 5.1% | 34% | 25% | 41% |
| Pathway Polling (D) | September 17–20, 2021 | 492 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 30% | 32% | 38% |

### Results

General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nonpartisan | Justin Bibb | 36,138 | 62.86 |
| | Nonpartisan | Kevin Kelley | 21,352 | 37.14 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 57,490 | 100.00 |

#### Results by ward

Bibb won 12 of Cleveland's 17 wards. Bibb found overwhelming support on the East Side of the city, while Kelley narrowly won the most votes on the West Side.
Results by ward :
| Ward | Bibb | Bibb | Kelley | Kelley | Total votes | Turnout % |
| Ward | Votes | % | Votes | % | Total votes | Turnout % |
| 1 | 3,786 | 87.05% | 563 | 12.95% | 4,349 | 27.3% |
| 2 | 2,373 | 82.45% | 505 | 17.55% | 2,878 | 20.9% |
| 3 | 3,172 | 74.15% | 1,106 | 25.85% | 4,278 | 24.2% |
| 4 | 2,872 | 85.76% | 477 | 14.24% | 3,349 | 24.4% |
| 5 | 1,356 | 80.62% | 326 | 19.38% | 1,682 | 13.9% |
| 6 | 2,279 | 80.56% | 550 | 19.44% | 2,829 | 20.4% |
| 7 | 1,932 | 76.33% | 599 | 23.67% | 2,531 | 17.6% |
| 8 | 2,664 | 69.54% | 1,167 | 30.46% | 3,831 | 27.0% |
| 9 | 2,326 | 82.98% | 477 | 17.02% | 2,803 | 19.3% |
| 10 | 2,093 | 82.18% | 454 | 17.82% | 2,547 | 19.0% |
| 11 | 1,330 | 50.96% | 1,280 | 49.04% | 2,610 | 18.5% |
| 12 | 1,355 | 42.96% | 1,799 | 57.04% | 3,154 | 23.0% |
| 13 | 1,239 | 26.69% | 3,403 | 73.31% | 4,642 | 31.8% |
| 14 | 766 | 45.79% | 907 | 54.21% | 1,673 | 13.1% |
| 15 | 2,599 | 68.05% | 1,220 | 31.95% | 3,819 | 24.2% |
| 16 | 1,382 | 40.46% | 2,034 | 59.54% | 3,416 | 24.2% |
| 17 | 2,614 | 36.82% | 4,485 | 63.18% | 7,099 | 43.2% |