Lee Weingart

The primary result sets up a showdown between two candidates who have been campaigning since 2021.

There have been three elections for Cuyahoga County executive since voters overhauled county government more than a dozen years ago. No Republican has won. Lee Weingart is hoping to become the first. He’s been running for county executive for a year already, raising money and building connections.

Two candidates for Cuyahoga County executive are each beginning their election year with more than $400,000 on hand in what will likely become a million-dollar race to lead county government.

The second-term suburban mayor told Ideastream Public Media on Tuesday that she is suspending her campaign. According to a news release, Blackwell will instead focus on serving out the remaining two years in her term.

The county executive may not carry the history or gravitas of the Cleveland mayor, but the county exec holds plenty of power. The county government runs the jail, owns a Downtown hotel, provides a constellation of social services and manages a $1.5 billion annual budget.