Cuyahoga Council: Final Republican Seat Falls

A 6-point margin decided the final Republican seat on Cuyahoga County Council.

Democrat Courtney Scheff defeated incumbent Mike Gallagher in District 5 with 53% of the vote to Gallagher's 47%. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections reported these unofficial totals on Wednesday morning. This result removes the last elected Republican from the 11-member body.

District 5 covers Strongsville, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, and Berea. The area has historically favored Republican candidates. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, then-Gov. Mike DeWine won the district by 12 points. This year, Democrat Amy Acton secured the district with 58% of the vote against Vivek Ramaswamy.

Gallagher, a resident of Strongsville, had served on the council since 2010. He was the only Republican remaining after two colleagues left office in 2022 and 2024. Scheff, from North Royalton, had previously led local efforts to recruit candidates for city council and school board positions in her home city.

The race focused on Gallagher's frequent conflicts with County Executive Chris Ronayne. Gallagher described himself as the primary check on Ronayne's spending and tax proposals. Scheff argued that Gallagher often prioritized argument over finding solutions to county issues. Both candidates told voters before the election that the contest was not strictly about party affiliation.

Gallagher acknowledged the Democratic win in a statement issued Wednesday morning. He credited Scheff and the party for their campaign efforts but pointed to national trends that hurt down-ticket Republican candidates. "Every time the president opened his mouth, my numbers went down," Gallagher said. He added that he hoped to work with Scheff to get the county back on track.

Democrats also won two other contested council races. Patrick Kelly retained his District 1 seat with 64% of the vote against James Trutko. Christine McIntosh won the open District 11 seat with 80% of the vote, defeating William McLaughlin. The district was vacated by incumbent Sunny Simon, who ran for Domestic Relations Court judge.