Charles Lewis "Charlie" Butts (born February 16, 1942) is a former Democratic politician, who served as a member of the Ohio Senate from 1975 to 1990.

In April 1979, Butts announced that he would enter the 1979 Cleveland mayoral election, challenging fellow Democrat, the beleaguered incumbent Dennis Kucinich.

The field quickly grew in July with additions of city council majority leader Basil Russo and Republican George Voinovich, who was Lieutenant Governor of Ohio.

Eanes would eventually be nominated by President Barack Obama as deputy Social Security administrator in 2014[7] Butts would finish fourth in the nonpartisan primary in the crowded field, garnering a respectable 19,431 votes, or 15.28%,[8] behind eventual winner Voinovich, Kuicinich, and Russo.

As of 2015, Butts was a managing director for a blog, Takingonthegiant.com, which chronicles the work of creative young people who want to change the world.