Blaine Griffin is asking if Clevelanders see him as mayoral material.
The Cleveland City Council president is conducting a poll that asks whom they’d pick in a mayoral race among Griffin, first-term incumbent Mayor Justin Bibb and former state Sen. Nina Turner.
The poll asks whether voters approve of the jobs that Bibb and Griffin are doing. It also tests the popularity of Cleveland City Council and asks what issues matter most to voters.
Griffin said he will use the results to help him make a decision about his political future. He hasn’t yet settled on whether to run for mayor or for reelection as the Ward 6 council member, he said.
The council president said that he did not dislike Bibb, nor did he know yet whether the mayor was politically vulnerable.
“People like to drum up the drama. This is really me trying to understand the public’s opinion, and please underline that,” he said. “Quite frankly, I think any politician that’s worth their salt should do the same, you know, kick the tires, see what people are thinking.”
Griffin said the poll is not just about himself or this year’s mayoral contest. He said that he would also share the results with his City Council colleagues, who are running for reelection on a new 15-ward political map.
The poll asks whether voters are satisfied with city services and their council member’s responsiveness. It gives respondents the chance to rate Bibb’s and Griffin’s leadership on a scale of poor to excellent.
Who will challenge Mayor Justin Bibb this year?
Both Griffin and Turner have kept political watchers guessing about whether they’ll challenge Bibb this year. Neither has said for certain. Griffin said that he and Turner “share a 30-year friendship.” He said that he would talk with her and Bibb when he makes a decision.
Griffin and Turner are not the only potential challengers in the conversation, although they are the biggest local political names. Republican contender LaVerne Jones Gore jumped into the nonpartisan race in December.
The online survey carries the logo of Public Policy Polling, a national Democratic firm based in North Carolina that also tests presidential and Congressional races. A person who received a text message invitation to take the poll shared the link with Signal Cleveland.
Hiring a professional polling firm can be expensive. Griffin — through his political action committee, the Council Leadership Fund — paid $23,000 for a poll during the 2023 elections, campaign finance disclosures show.
Griffin declined to say exactly who was paying for this year’s survey. He said that a group of people in his “camp” was helping him make up his mind about the future.
“There’s a lot of smart people in politics,” he said, “and what I want to do is sit down and have them tell me, okay, what is important to Clevelanders and where do they believe I could best serve.”
In 2021, Bibb, then a first-time candidate, defeated prior Council President Kevin Kelley in the general election. Griffin and several other council members backed Kelley, who had the support of outgoing Mayor Frank Jackson.
Bibb is running for a second term while he builds a national profile opposing President Donald Trump’s policies as the president of the Democratic Mayors Association. He began the year with $642,000 in campaign cash on hand compared to Griffin’s $201,300.
Griffin said he will let the data guide his electoral decision this year — whether voters want him to run for higher office, run for his council seat or “just want to put me out to pasture.”
