The Party Operation Worked. Period.
From Congress to County Council, the sample ballot flexed its muscle across Cuyahoga
Good morning, Angry Ohioans.
First things first, I want to congratulate everyone who ran in Ohio yesterday. Win or lose, running for office is not an easy thing to do. It should be commended. More people should be encouraged to weather the storm, jump into races, put their names out there, and make their case to voters. So if you ran, thank you.
I also want to thank everyone who joined the live stream last night. Around 80 people jumped on to watch, and I really appreciate it.
The biggest takeaway was simple.
The sample ballot reigned supreme.
David Brock, the Chair of the CCDP, said in his post-election statement, “All the endorsed candidates won last night in part because of the ongoing professionalization of party operations.”
That is exactly what happened. The party operation worked. Brock also thanked Representative Chris Glassburn for his “continued stewardship of our Sample Ballot program,” and said the success was so overwhelming that it is “now being imitated all over this county.”
Let’s look at some races I was watching.
Ohio’s 7th District Was the Poindexter Show
Obviously, the first race I was watching was Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, where Brian Poindexter won the Democratic primary. The race was officially called at 11:09 p.m., but honestly, you could see where it was heading much earlier in the night.
At the beginning, Ed FitzGerald was up, and then it looked like Poindexter and FitzGerald were running neck and neck. But as more votes came in, Poindexter started building a wider and wider margin. By around 9:00 or 9:30, the trend was pretty clear. I thought they were going to call it earlier, but I guess they wanted to make sure.
In the end, Poindexter won by almost 10,000 votes. That is not some barely-there victory. That is a clear win. It was the Poindexter Show, and now he moves on to November.
Brock framed that win as part of a bigger opportunity for Democrats in Cuyahoga County, writing, “With Brian Poindexter’s victory, along with Congresswoman Shontel Brown’s, we have a genuine chance this cycle to make our entire county’s Congressional delegation Blue.”
Now we get to work in Cuyahoga.
State House Races I was Watching
In State House District 18, Davida Russell dominated. She won with 72.8% of the vote and beat the second-place candidate by more than 10,000 votes. Davida was the endorsed candidate in that race, and she won it easily. Davida will go on to face Maureen Lynn.
In State House District 19, things were much more interesting. Nicole Sigurdson was the endorsed candidate, and early in the night she was sitting around 51% of the vote. But as more votes came in, that margin started shrinking. Cheryl Perez started out in second place and eventually ended in third. Dionna Gore crept up through the night and overtook Perez for second place.
But there is no prize for second place.
Nicole won the race and now moves on to November to face Ed Hargate.
In State House District 20, Eugene Miller, also the endorsed candidate, won with more than 50% of the vote. Again, the sample ballot power showed up. Again, the endorsed candidate won. Eugene will face Donna Walker-Brown.
Kent Smith Moves On in State Senate District 21
Kent Smith won his primary against Dolores Gray Ford, 68.2% to 31.8%. I was watching their League of Women Voters forum, and Kent Smith just has what it takes.
He is a strong communicator, a staunch Democrat, and he has a lot of legislative experience. No disrespect to Dolores Gray Ford, but this race felt pretty obvious to me once you watched them side by side. Kent Smith is somewhat of an institution in my view, and now he moves on to November against Mikhail Alterman.
Judge Vodrey and the Common Pleas Race
In the Court of Common Pleas race, Judge Vodrey was the endorsed candidate, and regardless of endorsements, He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He beat Gallagher handily with 65.7% of the vote.
There was some concern that the name ‘Gallagher’ might carry weight, and I do think it probably did to some degree. But in the end, this was not much of a competition.
As much as I complain about the world being unfair sometimes, I do not think the world is so bad that voters would fail to reelect Judge Vodrey. Honestly, if that had happened, it might have made me doubt humanity a little bit.
Vodrey moves to the general against Timothy W. Clary.
Congrats to Judge Vodrey.
County Council Races Went the Way of the Endorsement Too
In County Council District 3, Martin J. Sweeney won with more than 50% of the vote. He was the endorsed candidate, and I do not think many people doubted that the Sweeney name and the Sweeney political machine would be able to power through.
And while we are talking about the Sweeney name, I have to say this. His daughter, Bride Rose Sweeney, who is running for State Senate, is in my personal opinion one of the best legislators in the game. She is brilliant, hard-working, smart, politically savvy, and an excellent legislator. I cannot wait to see what she does in the Senate and where she goes from there.
County Council District 11 also went to the endorsed candidate, Christine McIntosh, who won with 42.3% of the vote. This was a much closer and much more watched race. Honestly, this must have been a nail-biter until all the precincts reported.
Shirley Smith finished with 32.2%, and Ebony Spano finished with 25.5%. Only a few hundred votes separated them. That is a real, competitive race. And credit to all three candidates, because from where I sat, this looked like a hard-fought and well-run race across the board.
A Little Bay Village Voyeurism From Afar
And finally, because why not, a little Bay Village voyeurism from afar.
Malaak Rashid is now going to be your central committee member for Bay Village, Ward 1, Precinct B.
Congrats to Rashid.
Sometimes these smaller races tell you just as much about local politics as the big ones. Central committee seats matter. Party structure matters. These are the positions that shape endorsements, local organizing, and the internal direction of the party. People ignore them until they realize that a lot of power starts there.
Brock also made a point to thank “the 800+ people who ran for our Central Committee,” writing that serving the party “requires a level of devotion and sacrifice that makes all future successes possible.”
And that is true. Central committee races are not glamorous. Most voters barely know what they are.
The Bigger Lesson From Cuyahoga County
The total turnout for Cuyahoga County was 22%, with around 190,000 ballots cast out of roughly 863,000 voters.
Brock said turnout “exceeded expectations” and surpassed turnout in the 2022 and 2024 primaries. He also noted that Cuyahoga County surpassed turnout in both Franklin and Hamilton Counties, driven in part by what he called an “intentional, and enormous, increase in Vote-By-Mail ballots.” According to Brock, Cuyahoga County had “nearly 4 times as many people vote-by-mail” as Franklin County.
It means the operation was not just Election Day sample ballots. It was vote-by-mail. It was turnout. It was party infrastructure. It was a coordinated effort that clearly worked.
Brock ended his statement by saying, “On to November and let’s win there.” (see his full statement below)
And I say LFG! The primaries are over. The winners are moving on. It is time for the party to back the Democratic candidates, because there is still a hell of an uphill battle in this gerrymandered state.
But that does not mean we stop analyzing what happened. It does not mean we stop calling balls and strikes.
That is the point of The Angry Democrat and The Angry Ohioan. The point is to keep the conversation flowing, even when it is uncomfortable, and even when it is about our own party. Only then can we self reflect and make sure upsets like 2024 never happen again.
Congrats again to everyone who ran, and congrats to everyone moving on to November.
But in the meantime...
Stay Angry.
As I will continue to say throughout this year, any vote for any Republican is an act of treason. Democrats, both here and nationwide, are the only ones doing actual work to keep democracy afloat. No matter who won among the Democrats in the primary, it’s time to make sure that they win in November. The stakes keep going higher and Democrats must be resolute and meet the moment.