CLEVELAND — After months of campaigning, two candidates have emerged as the finalists to become Cleveland's next mayor.
34-year-old Justin Bibb emerged as the top vote-getter in the Cleveland's mayoral primary. The non-profit executive captured 26% of the vote with 92% of precincts reporting.
"They said we'd have to wait our turn. They said that we were too young and that we weren't experienced enough," Bibb told supporters after his victory. "But by centering our campaign with the people, we shocked the political world."
Bibb will square off against Cleveland City Council president Kevin Kelley in November's General Election. "It's a different race when you're up against one candidate instead of seven," he told 3News' Lynna Lai. "But the message is the same, the vision is the same, the campaign team is going to be very similar."
You can track all of the results from Tuesday's races in Cuyahoga County here
Check out our time-stamped look at the results of the primary as they came in on Tuesday.
11:19 p.m. - 100% of precincts have reported in for the Cleveland mayoral primary. Here are the numbers (final totals pending vote-by-mail results):
- Justin Bibb - 10,635 votes (27.14%)
- Kevin Kelley - 7,597 votes (19.39%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 6,481 votes (16.54%)
- Zack Reed - 4,724 votes (12.06%)
- Basheer Jones - 4,640 votes (11.84%)
- Sandra Williams - 4,478 votes (11.43%)
- Ross DiBello - 632 votes (1.61%)
11:16 p.m. - We know now that it will be Justin Bibb versus Kevin Kelley in the Cleveland mayoral election in November. We also know who will be squaring off in the first mayoral election in the 100-year history of the city of Cleveland Heights.
Barbara Danforth, former CEO of the YWCA of Greater Cleveland, and Kahlil Seren, current council vice president, took home the most votes Tuesday evening in the primary.
10:54 p.m. - In what was essentially a concession speech, Dennis Kucinich addressed his supporters and congratulated Justin Bibb on winning the Cleveland mayoral primary. With 92% of precincts reporting, the former Cleveland mayor was more than 1,000 votes behind Kevin Kelley for second place, eliminating Kucinich as a finalist for November's election.
10:36 p.m. - 92% of precincts have now reported in for the Cleveland mayoral primary:
- Justin Bibb - 9,608 votes (26.10%)
- Kevin Kelley - 7,299 votes (19.83%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 6,243 votes (16.96%)
- Zack Reed - 4,555 votes (12.38%)
- Sandra Williams - 4,253 votes (11.56%)
- Basheer Jones - 4,237 votes (11.51%)
- Ross DiBello - 611 votes (1.66%)
10:25 p.m. - Justin Bibb addressed his supporters with a victory speech as he continues to hold a wide lead in the Cleveland mayoral primary race.
10:20 p.m. - Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley spoke with reporters from his watch party at The Harp as he continues to hold firm to second place in the Cleveland mayoral primary race
10:06 p.m. - With 81% of precincts reporting, here are the latest results in the Cleveland mayoral race:
- Justin Bibb - 8,536 votes (25.12%)
- Kevin Kelley - 6,581 votes (19.37%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 5,805 votes (17.08%)
- Zack Reed - 4,370 votes (12.86%)
- Sandra Williams - 4,064 votes (11.96%)
- Basheer Jones - 4,054 votes (11.93%)
- Ross DiBello - 570 votes (1.68%)
10:00 p.m. - Our Marisa Saenz is live from Dennis Kucinich's watch party. Here are some of the photos of the festivities as the gathering of supporters await more results.
9:43 p.m. - Here is a look at results coming in from some of the other races this evening. Click here for a full listing of races from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections:
East Cleveland Mayor (No precincts reporting yet):
- Timothy R. Austin (DEM) 82 votes - 6.83%
- Twon Billings (DEM) 67 votes - 5.58%
- Juanita Gowdy (DEM) 231 votes - 19.23%
- Brandon L. King (DEM) 714 votes - 59.45%
- Korean C. Stevenson (DEM) 107 votes - 8.91%
Lakewood Municipal Court Judge (No precincts reporting yet):
- Sara Fagnilli - 808 votes (42.64%)
- Tess Neff - 752 votes (39.68%)
- Brian M. Taubman - 335 votes (17.68%)
Garfield Heights Mayor (83% of precincts reporting):
- Matt Burke - 1,544 votes (60.86%)
- Shayla L. Davis - 608 votes (23.97%)
- James S. Feeney - 208 votes (8.20%)
- Tenisha Mack - 177 votes (6.9%)
Cleveland Heights Mayor (23% of precincts reporting):
- Barbara Danforth - 2,305 votes (48.09%)
- Melody Joy Hart - 759 votes (15.84%)
- Kahlil Seren - 1,639 votes (34.61%)
9:33 p.m. - We are featuring the watch parties of the three top candidates so far tonight: Justin Bibb, Kevin Kelley, and Dennis Kucinich. You can catch the festivities and speeches in the player below.
9:32 p.m. - 39% of the precincts have now reported in as we await a winner of the Cleveland mayoral primary. Justin Bibb holds the lead, with Kevin Kelley and Dennis Kucinich in a close battle for second. Here are the numbers:
- Justin Bibb - 5,836 votes (24.55%)
- Kevin Kelley - 4,004 votes (16.84%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 3,900 votes (16.41%)
- Zack Reed - 3,474 votes (14.61%)
- Basheer Jones - 3,149 votes (13.25%)
- Sandra Williams - 3,110 votes (13.08%)
- Ross DiBello - 300 votes (1.26%)
9:04 p.m. - 7% of precincts have now reported in the Cleveland mayoral primary race. Justin Bibb remains in the lead, followed by Kevin Kelley and Dennis Kucinich, who are separated by less than 100 votes. Here are the latest numbers:
- Justin Bibb - 3,992 votes (23.59%)
- Kevin Kelley - 2,986 votes (17.64%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 2,908 votes (17.18%)
- Zack Reed - 2,576 votes (15.22%)
- Sandra Williams - 2,171 votes (12.83%)
- Basheer Jones - 2,091 votes (12.36%)
- Ross DiBello - 200 votes (1.18%)
8:42 p.m. - We are also keeping an eye on the Cleveland Heights mayoral primary as voters are selecting the city's first-ever mayor. With all early in-person votes counted, along with a partial reporting of vote-by-mail tallies, here's how the race looks so far: (top 2 will advance to November election)
- Barbara Danforth - 1,050 votes (46.21%)
- Kahlil Seren - 754 votes (33.19%)
- Melody Joy Hart - 424 votes (18.66%)
8:34 p.m. - With 4% of precincts now reporting, Justin Bibb continues to hold the lead in the Cleveland mayoral primary. Here are the updated results:
- Justin Bibb - 3,706 votes (24.22%)
- Kevin Kelley - 2,890 votes (18.89%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 2,826 votes (18.47%)
- Zack Reed - 2,095 votes (13.69%)
- Sandra Williams - 1,834 votes (11.99%)
- Basheer Jones - 1,750 votes (11.44%)
- Ross DiBello - 199 votes (1.30%)
8:15 p.m. - Justin Bibb has surged ahead in the race as in-person early voting tallies get reported:
- Justin Bibb - 3,567 votes (25.16%)
- Kevin Kelley - 2,841 votes (20.04%)
- Dennis Kucinich - 2,772 votes (19.55%)
- Zack Reed - 1,766 votes (12.46%)
- Sandra Williams - 1,579 votes (11.14%)
- Basheer Jones - 1,457 votes (10.28%)
- Ross DiBello - 196 votes (1.38%)
8:03 p.m. - First results have come in from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Here's how the Cleveland mayoral race is shaping up so far as we get a look at the first batch of vote-by-mail results:
- Dennis Kucinich - 2,566 votes (22.38%)
- Kevin Kelley - 2,543 votes (22.18%)
- Justin Bibb - 2,524 votes (22.02%)
- Zack Reed - 1,476 votes (12.88%)
- Sandra Williams - 1,263 votes (11.02%)
- Basheer Jones - 933 votes (8.14%)
- Ross DiBellow - 159 votes (1.39%)
7:50 p.m. - Here are some updated voter turnout numbers from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections:
24,854 Clevelanders (so far) cast their ballots on Election Day, for a 15% turnout. The east side of Cleveland had a 15% turnout, while the west side checked in at 17%.
Cleveland Heights had a 19% turnout for their first-ever mayoral primary election.
Solon's Ward 4 had a 36% turnout for its city council race.
7:30 p.m. - The polls are now officially closed. We will be monitoring results as they come in via the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
6:45 p.m. - Cleveland isn’t the only city in Cuyahoga County that voted in a mayoral primary on Tuesday. Cleveland Heights residents also voted to select finalists to be its first mayor. Check out Sara Shookman's look at the three candiates vying for the job here.
5:35 p.m. - Here is a look at voter turnout statistics for today's primary from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
The city of Cleveland has had a 13% voter turnout so far. 19,512 voted on Tuesday, with another 13,506 filling out absentee ballots.
The best turnout in the city has been in Ward 17 on the west side, where nearly 25% of eligible voters cast their ballots.
5:15 p.m. - Preview
There are seven candidates on the ballot to become Cleveland's next mayor:
3News' Mark Naymik and Sara Shookman spoke with six of the seven candidates in-depth about issues ranging from crime and police reform, to the economy, and much more in our "Leading the Land" series. Click on the below links for more:
- Leading The Land: In-depth conversations with the Cleveland mayoral candidates
- Leading The Land: Cleveland's mayoral candidates tackle crime and safety
- Leading The Land: Cleveland mayoral candidates spell out how they'll drive the city's economic recovery
- Leading The Land: Lightning round of questions with Cleveland's mayoral candidates
But the race for Cleveland mayor is not the only one being decided on Tuesday. Six other cities in Cuyahoga County are having primaries. Here are the races:
- Bay Village: City Council Ward 3
- Cleveland: Mayor, City Council Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17
- Cleveland Heights: Mayor (Cleveland Heights is moving from a City Manager form of government and will be electing a mayor for the first time in its history)
- East Cleveland: Mayor (Democratic primary only)
- Garfield Heights: Mayor, City Council Ward 6
- Lakewood: City Council At-large, Municipal Court judge
- Solon: City Council Ward 4
The polls will close tonight at 7:30 p.m.