New March Democratic primary results: Fudge wins, Judge Floyd beats Lawson, Goldberg beats Judge Russo, McCormack wins, Kaptur beats Kucinich

By Kathy Wray Coleman, Editor

(www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com) and (www.clevelandurbannews.com)(kathy@kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)

(Editors Note: The results of Tuesday's Cuyahoga County Democratic primary for county prosecutor are addressed in a separate article below this one that is also dated March 7, 2012).

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Tuesday's Cuyahoga County Democratic primary brought mostly predictable results, political pundits said.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland lost to Toledo Democrat Marcy Kaptur in the new 9th Congressional District, 11th Congressional District Rep. Marcia L. Fudge won reelection to a third term by a comfortable margin, a Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court judge was ousted while another retained her seat, and a former Cuyahoga County commissioner upset a crowded field to compete against a Republican in Nov. for one of two open of seats on the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, among other judicial races. (Editors Note: This article pertains to Democratic primary races only and the winners on March 6, 2012 of the Democratic primary that were on the ballot for Cuyahoga County in contested races, aside from the mentioning of some Democratic candidates that won the primary without opposition for the Ohio State Legislature and Cuyahoga County Council. Some of Tuesday's

Democratic primary winners have Republican or Independent challengers for the upcoming Nov. election. Some don't).

And the incumbent Democrats for the Ohio House of Representatives in contested and uncontested races in legislative districts 8-14 all won, as did the four Democratic incumbent Cuyahoga County Council members up for reelection.

A Warrensville Hts. Democrat whose district includes Cleveland's predominantly Black east side and its eastern suburbs and a largely Black pocket of Akron and staggering sections of its Summit County suburbs, Fudge won the Democratic primary Tues. night with 90 percent of the vote with 100 percent of the 1082 precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections reveal.

The second place finisher was Gerald C. Henley, a community activist and former Cleveland school board member.

Isaac Powell, a perennial political candidate like Henley, came in third place.

"We are grateful for the vote of confidence and thank all of our volunteers," said Michelle Felder, Fudge's campaign manager . "The congresswoman will continue to move forward and represent the 11th Congressional District as she has done since taking office. "

The only Black congressperson representing one of Ohio's 16 congressional districts, Fudge has drawn neither a Republican nor an Independent challenger, and though State Sen. Nina Turner (D-25), a Cleveland Democrat, publicly announced her candidacy last year, she later bowed out of the race

But Fudge's closest congressional colleague in the U.S. House of Representatives from a geographical standpoint did not fare as well, losing to a fellow congressional liberal.

In probably the nation's most watched congressional race Kucinich, an outspoken anti-war advocate and former presidential candidate, sparred unsuccessfully to lead a district carved by the Republican controlled Ohio State Legislature late year as Ohio's 18 congressional districts were reduced to 16 pursuant to a once-in-a decade redistricting process that was guided by the every-10-years U.S. Census Report.

Kaptur won in her 9th Congressional District with 55 percent of the vote to Kucinich's 41 percent.

Though she was given the edge via a redistricting map that unfairly favored her over the former boy mayor of Cleveland, a congressman since 1997 that represented Ohio's 10th Congressional District before the merger to the 9th district, Kucinich did not highlight the redistricting discrepancies in his concession speech and instead accused Kaptur, once a close friend until the gloves came off in a fight that pit the two Democrats against each other, of slinging mud.

He told the media and his supporters that the nation's longest serving congressperson "ran a campaign lacking in integrity, and filled with false truths."

Kaptur held her tongue though, and was gracious in victory.

In her concession speech she said that Cuyahoga County, Kucinich's territory that gave him 73 percent of the vote, would be treated no differently than her home county of Lucas County, a staunchly supportive base that handed her 93 percent of the vote Tues.

And the congresswoman said that she harbors no ill will .

"He is a friend," Kaptur said.

She will now face neophyte Republican "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher in Nov, a race that Democrats tout as a sure winner.

In a race watched closely by Ohio's Black community, William O'Neill, the former appellate judge from Geauga County, won over Hamilton County Municipal Judge Fanon Rucker, who is Black, for the Democrats' nomination to challenge incumbent Republican Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert Cupp in Nov.

In contested and non-contested state races for the Ohio House of Representatives representing districts 8-14 in the Cleveland metropolitan area incumbent state representatives Armond Budish (D-8), Barbara Boyd (D-9), Bill Patmon (D-10), Sandra Williams (D-11), John Barnes Jr. (D-12), Nickie Antonio (D-13), and Mike Foley (D-14) won.

Budish, Antonio and Foley face a Republican challenger in Nov. general election, with none likely to beat any of them in the heavily Democratic county.

Cuyahoga County Council incumbents Dale Miller (D-2), Chuck Germana (D-4), Pernell Jones Jr. (D-8) and Julian Rogers (D-10) were unopposed and have no Republican opposition, and no Independent challenger either.

For contested races in the Democratic primary for the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas bench incumbent judge Shirley Strickland Saffold, who is Black, and John Sutula, also an incumbent, won.

Strickland Saffold trounced her only opponent with 79 percent of the vote and faces Republican Cathryn Ensign for the Nov. general election.

Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael Jackson got the nod from Democratic voters in the race to replace Democratic retiring common pleas judge Ron Suster, with John Corrigan and Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Judge Emanuella Groves, who is Black, coming in second and third place, respectively. He will face Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Marilyn Cassidy, a Republican, in Nov.

Steven Gall edged former juvenile court judge Janet Burney to take on Republican Common Pleas Court Judge Annette Butler in Nov. She is Black like Burney, and a former federal prosecutor and one time unsuccessful Republican candidate against Democratic Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, who has opted not to seek reelection this year to a third term.

Gov. John Kasich appointed Butler last year to the judicial seat that former Common Pleas Judge Tim McGinty vacated last year to run for county prosecutor.

McGinty won a five way Democratic primary on Tues. and faces Defense Attorney Edward Wade, who is Black, as an Independent in the Nov. general election, if Wade 's signatures to the county board of elections by its deadline on March 5 are enough to place his name on the ballot.

Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Colleen Ann Reali beat Keith Belkin as the Democrat to face Brecksville Republican Pamela Barker, whom Kasich appointed last year to replace Steven Terry, a former Cuyahoga County common pleas court judge until his convictions on corruption related charges that netted a hefty fine and six-year prison sentence from Federal District Court Judge Sara Lioi.

Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Alison Nelson Floyd escaped criticism by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest's Newspaper, to edge Attorney John H. Lawson, 52, 096 votes to his 50, 512 votes.

Floyd has battled Plain Dealer Newspaper officials since she blocked reporters from her courtroom that wanted to record and photograph juveniles coming before her to face criminal charges . In an expected decision, the Ohio Supreme Court subsequently said that Floyd by state law must give reporters a hearing upon request in conjunction with media's aggressive efforts to photograph and video the juveniles, a disproportionate number of whom are Black.

Floyd's supporters have said that Plain Dealer officials are still nursing a grudge over the controversial confrontation. She has no Republican on Independent challenger for Nov.

Assistant County Prosecutor Frankie Goldberg, a lieutenant of Mason's, and a popular University Heights City Council member, edged Attorney William McGinty and trounced incumbent judge Joseph Russo to win the Democratic primary.

She faces Republican Denise Nancy Rini in Nov.

"Thank you for your support," said Goldberg on election day to members of grassroots factions and women's groups such as The Imperial Women that have endorsed her.

In her race Goldberg got 46,447 votes, William McGinty got 45, 334, and Russo's embarrassing third place outcome netted him 20, 482 votes.

He put his seat at risk after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct following a drunken escapade with his then girlfriend. And last Feb. the Ohio Supreme Court suspended his law license for a year but stayed the suspension if he completes an alcohol recovery program and stays out of trouble.

The Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals will likely welcome Common Pleas Judge Eileen T. Gallagher to the bench next year.

She beat Attorney Joseph Compoli after racking up 88 percent of the vote and faces no opponent for the Nov. general election.

Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim McCormack pulled off a shocker too, nudging Parma Municipal Court Judge Timothy Gilligan and Juvenile Court Judge Peter Sikora to win in the Democratic primary race to compete in Nov against Republican Ken Spanagel for the other seat open on the Eighth District Court of Appeals, a seat currently held by Democrat Colleen Conway Cooney , who will retire at the end of the year.

Lori Dyke and Erin O'Toole trailed in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in that race.

.Reach Kathy Wray Coleman by email at kathy@kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, by telephone at 216-932-3114.