CLEVELAND -- Replacing U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones could have a major impact on northeast Ohio politics.

The loss of Tubbs Jones, who died Wednesday evening from a brain hemorrhage, has yet to set in for city and county officials who viewed the congresswoman as larger than life, reported NewsChannel5's Curtis Jackson.

"Politics won't be the same. No one can replace someone of that energy and devotion. It's not easy," said Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagen.

But difficult as it may be, a successor will have to be named.

Still in mourning, local Democrats refused to talk about it openly, but privately, sources within the party say a decision-making process is under way.

Three names are starting to emerge as possible front-runners: County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, Cleveland City Councilwoman Nina Turner and Marvin McMickle, pastor of Cleveland's Antioch Baptist Church.

McMickle said he has made no decisions on his political future.

"I think right now the city needs patience and deliberativeness. We don't need to make a rushed decision and get somebody just because they're available," he said.

Everyone agrees that Tubbs Jones will be a tough act to follow. In just 10 years, she rose to become of the most influential members of her party and a leading figure in Congress.

"We need to maintain that image and reputation and so I hope the powers that be find the person that's going to carry the mantle just as she has done," said Stanley Miller, of the Cleveland NAACP.

Tubbs Jones was such a popular force in local and national politics that her absence was unthinkable; now that she's gone the emotional and political impact could be felt for years to come.

"We'll mourn it and we'll see it in the short-term but as time goes on we will miss that little quality that you miss if you lose someone who cares about you that much," said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

Sources said that county commissioner and head of the county Democratic Party, Jimmy Dimora, spoke to Gov. Ted Strickland Thursday about the process of finding a replacement for Tubbs Jones.

Tubbs Jones was up for re-election this year, so her name will remain on the November ballot because it is too late to post a replacement.

If voters choose Tubbs Jones, Strickland will likely call a special election.

Her party will offer a new candidate for voters to choose from.