After a slow start in 2023, Mayor Justin Bibb’s campaign fundraising picked up speed.

The mayor brought in nearly $275,000 for his reelection campaign between July and the end of December, according to a new unaudited filing with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. 

Bibb bankrolled his 2021 campaign with the help of a broad base of smaller donors who could afford to give anywhere from $20 to a few hundred dollars. 

Now that he’s mayor, Bibb is also tapping more traditional sources of political funds. He raised $83,250 at a December fundraiser with the building and construction trade unions. Bibb also reported a $5,000 contribution – the maximum individual gift allowed – from Umberto Fedeli, the insurance executive who was a major supporter of former Mayor Frank Jackson. 

On top of that, Bibb received $1,500 from a political action committee for Rock Holdings, one of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s companies. 

The mayor spent big on polling and campaign consulting in the first half of 2023. His campaign committee tapped the brakes on spending in the second part of the year. 

Bibb reported $233,700 on hand going into 2024. He’ll need that nest egg 18 months from now, when it comes time to buy mailers and ads asking voters to extend his tenure at City Hall. 

Anti-Kucinich PAC still holding on to money

A super PAC that targeted Dennis Kucinich in the 2021 Cleveland mayoral race still has some cash.

Citizens for Change tried to tank Kucinich’s comeback hopes with a multi-page glossy mailer calling him a “menace” to Cleveland. Kucinich parodied the attack with a mailer of his own portraying himself as a menace to banks, price-gouging utilities and dishonest politicians. 

According to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission, Citizens for Change ended 2023 with more than $31,200 on hand. The super PAC’s plans for the money aren’t clear. Its website is inactive, and it hasn’t posted on Facebook since September 2021. 

Kucinich finished third in the mayoral primary, but he’s not out of the political game. Now he’s running to return to Congress, this time as an independent.

Tariq Shabazz aims high

Speaking of independent candidates, Tariq Shabazz is forgoing the Democratic primary in his latest bid for elected office. 

The Navy veteran performed surprisingly well in the 2022 Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County executive. He won 34% of the vote against eventual winner Chris Ronayne. (Though in Shabazz’s view, his grassroots appeal surprised only the media.) 

The year before, he was one of numerous candidates who sought the open Congressional seat that Shontel Brown ultimately won. 

Now Shabazz has set his sights even higher. He’s running for U.S. Senate as an independent. If he makes the November ballot, he’d be competing for votes with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and whoever emerges from the Republican primary. 

Shabazz said he’s running on a platform of expanding housing, cutting down on hunger and paying reparations for slavery. He also supports Medicare for All and a ceasefire in Gaza. 

“We want to ensure that we reduce hunger, starvation, hunger all across the nation,” he said. “These are the major concerns. It is not wars.” 

The first step is getting on the ballot. Shabazz said he and his supporters are working to gather the 5,000 signatures they need. The filing deadline is March 18.