Michael O'Malley fends off challenge in Cuyahoga prosecutor primary

What they're saying: "Our campaign, grounded in county-specific data and facts, rang true with voters who value experience and proven solutions over absurd hypotheticals," O'Malley said in a statement.

The intrigue: Ahn, a Cleveland State University professor of law and former public defender, mounted a stiff challenge, rallying support from out-of-state donors and local progressives.

• Throughout the campaign, he criticized O'Malley's reactive approach to criminal justice, including his treatment of juvenile defendants and his support of the death penalty.
• Ahn's camp considered it a major achievement that O'Malley failed to win the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party's endorsement in January.

Yes, but: O'Malley's significant fundraising advantage in the race's final months gave him a big leg up.

• In the week before the election, O'Malley circulated an ad highlighting Ahn's lack of experience, a criticism the Cleveland Plain Dealer amplified when it endorsed O'Malley.

Catch up quick: O'Malley was first elected in 2016 in a race that was largely viewed as a referendum on O'Malley's predecessor, Timothy McGinty, who had failed to indict two Cleveland police officers in the shooting death of Tamir Rice.

• O'Malley previously served as a Cleveland City Councilman, an assistant county prosecutor under Bill Mason and an assistant director of law for the city of Parma.