CLEVELAND — Editor's Note: The above video is from a previously published story.
The lone Republican candidate seeking to become Cleveland’s next mayor has withdrawn from the race after he failed to get the required number of signatures on his nominating petitions.
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections spokesman Mike West confirmed Landry Simmons’ exit on Monday. Simmons, a Cuyahoga County Deputy Sheriff, was unable to come up with the required 3,000 valid signatures needed to compete in the race to succeed Mayor Frank Jackson, who announced last month that he would not seek a fifth four-year term.
When Simmons filed his petitions earlier this month, his campaign reported that he had amassed more than 5,100 signatures.
Simmons, formerly a police officer with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), serves as a member of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party Committtee.
The departure of Simmons leaves seven candidates -- all Democrats -- who will face off in the September 14 primary, with the two top vote-getters meeting in the November 2 general election.
Here are the remaining candidates:
The deadline to register for the September 14 Cuyahoga County Primary Election is August 16. Click here for more information.
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