Norton defeats Jordan by landslide proportion in Democratic mayoral primary

9:02PM: All votes counted: Norton 1385, Jordan 563, Robinson 151

Norton holding commanding lead in East Cleveland mayoral reelection bid

With 2/3 of precincts reporting, Council president Joy Jordan trails more than 2 to 1

East Cleveland mayor Gary Norton appears comfortably ahead of his challengers in the only race on the ballot today in Cuyahoga County.

Several factors pointed to this Democratic primary battle being especially tense, including longstanding animosity between the Norton administration, under which the city has once again returned to fiscal emergency, and a combative council led by Jordan that cut the mayor’s pay, filed suit against him, and has generally been obstructionist at every turn.

With twelve of the city’s precincts reporting, Norton leads Jordan by 1047 votes to 426. A third candidate, Vernon Robinson, has tallied 88 votes.

The results of early voting gave Norton a 304 to 80-vote cushion over Jordan, which he has increased as a result of today’s vote.

Given a projected turnout of around 15%, there would not appear to be enough votes left for Jordan to overtake Norton’s commanding lead.

Should Norton hold on, he can turn his attention fully towards a second term, as no Republican filed for the general election in November.