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Jackson first won the mayor's office in 2005 and is much more widely known than his opponent, who had the backing of the city police union.
Jackson's campaign for a third term has centered on Cleveland's resurgence downtown and in a few neighborhoods while his challenger has pointed out that many residents and neighborhoods are still suffering in one of the nation's poorest cities.
Jackon and Lanci were the only candidates to enter the Cleveland mayor race this year and avoided a fall primary to advance directly to Tuesday's election.
Jackson, 67, is a veteran politician in Cleveland, first elected to city council in 1989 before being elected mayor eight years ago. He won his second four-year term by a landslide in 2009, getting three-fourths of the vote.
Lanci, 63, is a printing-house mogul who lost out on a bid to for the new Cuyahoga County executive job in 2010.Democrat Ed FitzGerald, now a candidate for governor, won that race.
Jackson, who is better known than his challenger, has maintained that the city is poised for growth and points to an increasing number of downtown residential units, along with a new convention center and medical technology exhibit hall.
He said city services and taxes have been stable and that his stewardship helped the city come through the recession on a positive note.
Lanci, who has pumped more than $400,000 into his campaign, has accused the mayor of favoring downtown business interests over its working-class, ethnic neighborhoods.
Lanci had won the police union endorsement, promised to fire the chief if elected and made anti-crime vigils a staple of his campaign.
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