Bibb Declares Victory: Cleveland Metro Elections 2021:

CLEVELAND — Justin Bibb declared victory in the race to be Cleveland's next mayor on Tuesday night, while his opponent — Kevin Kelley — conceded in front of an audience of family and friends.

Bibb is a 34-year-old who has promised to bring change to Cleveland. Simply by being elected, he replaces a longtime political institution in Frank Jackson. Jackson was first elected in 2005 and became Cleveland's longest-serving mayor over 16 years.

Olivet Institutional Baptist Church hosted Bibb's celebration. Supporters cheered and wooed as Bibb thanked volunteers, pastors, his campaign manager and his family. He also congratulated Kelley on running a "fantastic campaign."

"The work is just beginning. Tonight, we'll celebrate. Tomorrow, we'll roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of moving our city forward in a better direction."

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"A champion for working families, educational opportunities and economic development for all of Cleveland’s residents, Mayor-Elect Bibb is the right leader at the right time to shepherd in a new generation of leadership to address the city’s most challenging and persistent problems," said The Collective Pac, which supported Bibb's candidacy.

Bibb's acceptance speech is below.

New Faces In Cleveland?

Frank Jackson was first elected as Cleveland mayor in 2005. After 16 years at the helm, he decided to step away, creating a vacuum that several candidates rushed to fill, including Bibb, Kelley, Basheer Jones, Dennis Kucinich, Zach Reed and Sandra Williams.

Bibb and Kelley cleared the primary, with Bibb receiving the most votes. As the two headed toward the general election, polls showed Bibb leading with a majority of Cleveland voters, though a larger chunk of the populace remained undecided.

Both Kelley and Bibb promised to depart from Jackson's administrative style.

Across Ohio, 377,399 voters cast their absentee ballot or voted early, Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced. Of those, 172,886 cast their ballot early in-person.