A Democratic prosecutor? A sheriff rematch? Greater Cincinnati races to watch in 2024

Politics in 2024 will feature more than just the presidential and congressional races.

Local races from sheriff to county commissioner will likely get heated and expensive. A former sheriff in Hamilton County has switched parties and hopes to defeat the person who beat him four years ago. Democrats will seek to retain control of the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.

A Republican critic of the government in Clermont County will seek to become a commissioner. And many more races will be on the ballot.

Here are some races to watch in 2024, based on filings with county boards of elections made by the Dec. 20 deadline.

Democrats hope to win the prosecutor's office for the first time 91 years

Not since the 1930s has Hamilton County had a Democrat as prosecutor. Former Ohio Rep. Connie Pillich hopes to be the first since Ohio Supreme Court Justice Robert Gorman, a Democrat, who was prosecutor from 1930 to 1932.

Pillich, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Montgomery, will face incumbent Republican Melissa Powers. Powers, of Indian Hill, was appointed to the seat in January to replace Joe Deters, who was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Prior to her appointment as prosecutor, Powers had served as a judge for 16 years in Hamilton County, first on in the municipal court then as a juvenile court judge. She did not run for reelection in 2022. Powers worked as an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County from 1991 to 1998.

Jim Neil wants his job back

Sheriff Jim Neil lost the Democratic primary to Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey in 2020. This time, Neil has switched parties and is running as a Republican challenging McGuffey, who remains a Democrat.

Two Republicans have filed against McGuffey: Neil and Anderson Township resident Christopher Maher, a newcomer to local politics.

Neil is by far the more well-known of the Republican candidates, having served as sheriff ‒ as a Democrat ‒ from 2012 to 2020.

Neil and the Democratic Party grew apart, particularly after Neil appeared at a Donald Trump rally in 2016. The Hamilton County Democrats in 2020 opted to endorse McGuffey in the Democratic Primary, a rare circumstance of an incumbent not getting the party's endorsement.

After losing, Neil switched from Democrat to Republican in 2022.

McGuffey's election in 2020 made national headlines. She's the first openly LGBTQ and woman sheriff in Hamilton County history.

Both McGuffey and Neil have a long history with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. Neil joined the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department in 1981, McGuffey in 1983. Neil promoted McGuffey to major in 2013 a year after he was elected sheriff.

The relationship went south from there. It culminated in Neil firing McGuffey in 2017. McGuffey sued her boss, claiming she was fired for raising concerns about the use of force and her orientation as an openly gay woman.

Neil claims he fired McGuffey for creating a hostile work environment.

The county settled the case in December 2020 just before McGuffey took office as sheriff for $474,999 in attorneys fees and lost wages and benefits paid to McGuffey. The county did not admit wrongdoing.

Republicans challenge Hamilton County commissioners

Two of the three Democratic Hamilton County commissioners are up for reelection and will face Republican challengers in 2024. Board of Commissioners President Alicia Reece will face first-time candidate Jonathan Lee Pearson, 62, a Republican from Fairfax.

Pearson, who owns a landscaping business, said taxes are too high, singling out the county's 7.8% sales tax, the second highest in the state behind Cuyahoga County's 8%.

Reece, 52, has served in various levels of local government for the past 25 years. She won election in 1999 at the age of 28 to Cincinnati City Council where she served for six years, including a stint as vice mayor. She later served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives, leading the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. She won election the the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners in 2020.

Mount Auburn Republican Adam Koehler, 46, will challenge another veteran Democratic incumbent in Commissioner Denise Driehaus. Koehler said he believes the three-member Hamilton County Board of Commissioners lacks a dissenting voice.

Koehler described himself as a "serial entrepreneur" who founded online signature company Dotloop before it sold to Zillow for $108 million. He also works as a Realtor. He ran for Cincinnati mayor in 2021 but failed to get enough valid signatures to get on the ballot.

He also helped lead opposition to the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway for $1.5 billion to railroad company Norfolk Southern. The voters approved the sale in November.

Driehaus, 60, has served on the board of commissioners since 2017. Before that, she spent eight years in the Ohio House. The Driehaus name has been big in local politics for decades. Her brother, Steve Driehaus, is a former Ohio state representative and U.S. representative.

Driehaus said she doesn't view the $111,494-per-year Hamilton County commissioner post as partisan and that she listens to all residents regardless of party.

Landsman will seek reelection for the first time

Freshman U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman will face his first reelection challenge from Republican Orlando Sonza.

Landsman, 47, a Democrat from Mount Washington, unseated veteran Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in 2022. The district, redrawn through redistricting, gave Democrats a slight edge by including all of the heavily Democratic Cincinnati. The district also includes many Republicans, particularly in the Warren County suburbs to the north.

Landsman previously served on Cincinnati City Council.

Sonza, 32, an assistant Hamilton County prosecutor from Springfield Township, launched his campaign in July.

1 Republican, 3 Democrats challenge Warren Davidson

Former Butler County auditor Kay Rogers is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson in the Republican primary. Rogers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud in 2008 as a result of the Dynus scandal in Butler County.

Three Democratic candidates have also filed to run:

• Nathaniel Hawkins was raised in Cleves, graduated from the University of Cincinnati and now works for Cincinnati Children’s, according to his campaign website. Some of Hawkins' top causes include democratic integrity, gun regulation and reproductive rights.

• David Gelb lives and works in West Chester, where he has a business focused on helping companies navigate guidelines from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to his campaign website. He said in a news release he wants to “stand up for women’s body autonomy and fair and decent wages" and take a stand against extremism.

• Vanessa Enoch is a West Chester resident and public policy and business consultant. She has been endorsed by the Butler County Democratic Party, according to her campaign website. Her top issues include voting rights and racial equity.

Warren County will get a new state representative

Rep. Scott Lipps, a Franklin Republican, cannot run for reelection in 2024 because he will have served eight years by next December. Three Republican candidates have thrown their hat in the ring:

• Michelle Teska, of Centerville, has been endorsed by Lipps, Rep. Phil Plummer, a Dayton Republican, and Warren County Right to Life, according to her campaign website. Teska graduated from the University of Dayton and runs a home care agency with her husband. She hopes to advocate for small businesses, the Second Amendment and veterans.

• Kim Lukens has been a Warren County resident for almost 40 years and currently lives in Loveland. She has a bachelor's in social work from Xavier University. A Catholic who said she attends mass almost every day, Lukes describes herself as "pro-life." Lukens' issue priorities include supporting agriculture and farmers, education and workforce development in Warren County.

• Ben McCullough, of Franklin, has a bachelor's degree in political science from Wittenberg University and a master's degree in comparative politics from Wright State University. He is in the United States Army Reserve and has served for over 13 years. McCullough now works for a consulting firm, according to his campaign website. His issue priorities include the economy and constitutional rights, according to a news release.

One Democratic candidate, Laura Davis, has also filed for the seat. She does not appear to have a campaign website or social media presence. District 55 leans Republican. Lipps won with 75% of the vote in 2022.

Watchdog runs for Clermont County Commissioner

Union Township resident and frequent government critic Chris Hicks is challenging Clermont County Commissioner Bonnie Batchler.

Batchler has served on the board since 2021 and is endorsed by the Clermont County Republican Party.

Hicks runs a blog and Facebook page called Hicks Watchdog, in which he criticizes government officials and advocates for transparency. He often files complaints against officials in court and to the Ohio Elections Commission.

"We have got to be able to show the citizens in Clermont county that we can deliver results in their lives. They don't care whether Bonnie Batchler is the commissioner; they care whether she can create jobs and create better infrastructure, etc. That's not happening and that's why we're losing," Hicks told The Enquirer.

Democrat Brad Combs also filed to run against Batchler.

In the other commission seat up for election, Democrat Jennifer Mazzuckelli filed against incumbent David Painter.

Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio 2024 election: Here are some Greater Cincinnati races to watch