There was a huge upset in the race for Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tuesday night, as voters pushed out incumbent Timothy McGinty.
Parma Safety Director Michael O'Malley defeated McGinty with roughly 56 percent of the vote, versus McGinty's 44 percent.
With no Republicans filing for the race, Tuesday's democratic nominee will soon be sworn in as prosecutor.
Timothy McGinty has served as Cuyahoga County Prosecutor for the last four years. O'Malley was previously an assistant prosecutor under former Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason.
In events and debates leading up to the election, O'Malley and his supporters criticized the sitting county prosecutor in his handling of high-profile cases like the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by police.
But McGinty said a vote for O'Malley would be a return to old shady politics.
But more than 55 percent of voters decided it was time for a change.
McGinty issued the following statement to newsnet5.com early Wednesday morning:
The voters have spoken, and I want to congratulate Mike O'Malley on his victory.
I wish him nothing but the best. I love the Prosecutor's Office, and I am proud of all that we have accomplished and of all the outstanding dedicated professionals who work there. I will do everything I can to help Mike, the Office and the County succeed.
I want to thank my family and my supporters. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve the people of Cuyahoga County in elected office for the past 24 years.
Neither candidate received the endorsement of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party.
