Mayor of Cleveland

President Donald Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, urging supporters to back Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton ahead of the November midterms. Speaking at the Covelli Centre, Trump framed the races as a choice to "Put Ohio First" and asked attendees to treat the contests as if he were personally on the ballot. He also announced federal assistance for SOBE Thermal Energy Systems and disclosed that Cleveland will host a new 46,000-square-foot U.S. Navy submarine component repair facility, crediting Husted with securing the project. Jon Gruden introduced Trump, with boxer Jake Paul also appearing.

A new co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, taken Oct. 5-6, found both races within the margin of error: Ramaswamy led Acton 45%-43% in the governor's race, while Husted led Brown 44%-43% in the Senate contest, a special election to fill the seat J.D. Vance vacated. Analysts continue to rate both races as toss-ups.

The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of city leaders, is urging the state to create a Public Safety Enhancement Fund equal to 10% of local police and fire payroll costs. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb promoted the plan this week as part of a broader set of priorities the group wants Ohio's next governor and General Assembly to address, arguing that state support would help cities recruit, train and retain first responders amid rising personnel costs.

Based on Cleveland's 2026 budget figures, which list combined police and fire salary totals of about $237.6 million, a 10% allocation would translate to roughly $23.8 million for the city. That estimate is illustrative only: the proposal has not been enacted, and officials have not defined exactly what would count as "payroll," so the final formula could yield a smaller amount. Benefits such as health coverage and pensions are budgeted separately and are not included in the calculation. This marks the Alliance's second attempt at tying state aid to local public-safety payroll after a similar 2025 budget proposal was not adopted.