Martin Sweeney
Martin Sweeney (Democratic Party) is a member of the Cuyahoga County Council in Ohio, representing District 3. He assumed office in 2021. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Sweeney (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Cuyahoga County Council to represent District 3 in Ohio. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.[source]
Biography
Martin Sweeney was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He graduated from St. Ignatius High School.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Cleveland State University.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Council District 3
Incumbent Martin Sweeney (D), Anise Mayo (D), and Stephanie Thomas (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Council District 3 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Martin Sweeney | |
 | Anise Mayo | |
 | Stephanie Thomas  | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for May 5, 2026, was canceled.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2023
See also: City elections in Cleveland, Ohio (2023)
General election
General election for Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk
Incumbent Earle Turner defeated Brian Kazy in the general election for Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Earle Turner (Nonpartisan) | 68.1 | 39,931 | |
 | Brian Kazy (Nonpartisan) | 31.9 | 18,668 | |
| Total votes: 58,599 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Martin Sweeney (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Turner in this election.
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (2022)
General election
General election for Cuyahoga County Council District 3
Incumbent Martin Sweeney won election in the general election for Cuyahoga County Council District 3 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Martin Sweeney (D) | 100.0 | 13,223 |
| Total votes: 13,223 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Council District 3
Incumbent Martin Sweeney advanced from the Democratic primary for Cuyahoga County Council District 3 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Martin Sweeney | 100.0 | 3,079 |
| Total votes: 3,079 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
- See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Ohio State Senate District 23
Nickie Antonio defeated Steve Flores in the general election for Ohio State Senate District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nickie Antonio (D) | 65.4 | 69,907 |
| Steve Flores (R) | 34.6 | 36,968 | ||
| Total votes: 106,875 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 23
Nickie Antonio defeated Martin Sweeney in the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 23 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nickie Antonio | 54.6 | 15,282 |
| Martin Sweeney | 45.4 | 12,699 | |
| Total votes: 27,981 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mary Clark (D)
2016
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 16, 2015.
Incumbent Martin Sweeney ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 14 general election.[3]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 14 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Martin Sweeney Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Martin Sweeney ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 14 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 14, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Martin Sweeney Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 9,649 | |
| Total Votes | 9,649 | |||
2014
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 5, 2014. Martin Sweeney defeated Mike Piepsny and Steve Holecko in the Democratic primary, while Anna Melendez was unopposed in the Republican primary. Sweeney defeated Melendez in the general election.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Sweeney |
62.4% | 16,831 | |
| Republican | Anna Melendez | 37.6% | 10,130 | |
| Total Votes | 26,961 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Martin Sweeney |
41.8% | 4,085 |
| Steve Holecko | 37.7% | 3,683 |
| Mike Piepsny | 20.5% | 1,999 |
| Total Votes | 9,767 | |
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Martin Sweeney has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Martin Sweeney, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 26,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.
Help improve Ballotpedia - send us candidate contact info.
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Earle Turner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Martin Sweeney did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Pension
After the city council election in 2013, Sweeney retired from the Cleveland City Council but was sworn in again on January 6, 2014. This allowed him to draw pension benefits while also earning a $76,000 salary. The move drew criticism in particular because of a new rule allowing Sweeney to retain his seniority on the council.[7]
State legislative tenure
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Government Accountability and Oversight |
| • Higher Education and Workforce Development |
| • Public Utilities |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Sweeney served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Labor |
| • State Government |
| • Transportation and Infrastructure |
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2018.
- Innovation Ohio — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills affecting working families.
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2017.
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2016.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2015.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2013.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2012.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Ohio General Assembly in 2011.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vote Smart, "Martin Sweeney's Biography," accessed April 14, 2018
- ↑ Cleveland City Council, "Ward 16," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2016 Official Elections Results," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official primary election results for May 6, 2014," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Outgoing Cleveland City Council President Martin J. Sweeney retires to 'double-dip,' maintains seniority under new policy," January 2, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Cuyahoga County Council District 3 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Ohio House of Representatives District 14 2015-2018 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Cleveland City Council 1997-2014 |
Succeeded by - |
 |
State of Ohio Columbus (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
