A Cleveland City Council primary election preview
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
It's time for voters to separate the wheat from the chaff.
State of play: Next week's primary election will feature seven of Cleveland City Council's 15 new wards — those with three or more candidates vying for office.
Why it matters: It may not have the drama of the November general, but it will be an important barometer for incumbents facing a range of experienced challengers, progressive upstarts and, in one case, another incumbent.
👀 What we're watching: The Ward 12 race might yield the day's only surprising result.
- Incumbent Danny Kelly faces two challengers in Tanmay Shah and Andrew DeFratis, both of whom have raised thousands of dollars and visibly campaigned in the west side ward stretching from Edgewater to Little Arabia.
- Kelly is backed by Council President Blaine Griffin and the Council Leadership Fund. But as a recent appointee in a newly redrawn ward, he doesn't enjoy the same deep history and inherent advantages that many of his counterparts do.
🤷 Close calls: In Wards 1, 5 and 7, the top two candidates are virtually assured, but the distances separating them will indicate their relative strength heading into November:
- Ward 1: Despite recent scandals and a potential forthcoming censure vote, incumbent Joe Jones is expected to advance alongside State Rep. Juanita Brent, a statehouse veteran and vice-chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.
- Ward 5: Incumbents Richard Starr and Rebecca Maurer are the favorites to advance in the new ward that includes much of downtown and Central. Starr's council backing would then face off against Maurer's grassroots army.
- Ward 7: With no incumbent on the near west side, Mohammad Faraj and Austin Davis have mounted two of the costliest council campaigns thus far. Given their expenditures and visibility, they are expected to advance.
📈 Landslide watch: In the other three races, incumbents should command considerable leads over their respective fields: Deborah Gray in Ward 3; Stephanie Howse-Jones in Ward 8; and Kevin Conwell in Ward 9.
See the full list of candidates.
📅 Programming note: Sam will be in D.C. at the Axios editorial retreat on election day. Barring any big surprises, he'll break down the results later in the week.