Former judge Russell Mock to lead Hamilton County Republicans

Keeping the Hamilton County prosecutor job in Republican hands will likely top the to-do list for the new leader of the Hamilton County Republicans.

The 278-member central committee for the county GOP on Thursday chose former Ohio Appeals Court Judge Russell Mock for the job, the party's vice chairman Triffon Callos, told The Enquirer.

The meeting was not open to the media or public.

Mock, 53, of Hyde Park, succeeds the previous chairman Alex Triantafilou, who now leads the Republicans statewide as chairman of the Ohio Republican Party.

Two people applied for the job of Hamilton County Republican chairman, Mock and former state Rep. Tom Brinkman.

The vote was 125-66 for Mock, according to Callos.

Mock was not immediately available for comment Thursday night but released a statement in the GOP's announcement of his election.

“It is a true honor to be selected to serve as the chairman of this great party," Mock said in a statement Thursday night. "This is a crucial moment for our county...This upcoming election cycle will be one of the most important inrecent memory. I pledge to work collaboratively with everyone to strengthen our party and promote our conservative principles.”

Both Mock and Brinkman in earlier interviews had cited the upcoming prosecutor's race in 2024 as a top priority. Longtime prosecutor Joe Deters left to become a Supreme Court justice. Former juvenile court judge and assistant prosecutor Melissa Powers was appointed by the GOP to fill out Deters' term.

It's not been easy running a Republican Party in a metro county that has grown increasingly Democratic in the past two decades, as have metro areas across the country.

In the past 20 years, Democrats have gained all three seats on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioner, all but two countywide elected offices and all but one seat on Cincinnati City Council. The only two countywide offices still in Republican hands is Hamilton County prosecutor and county engineer.

The two candidates for the chairmanship in Hamilton County showed a possible split in the party between Republicans who still see a chance to win in the city of Cincinnati and those who want to focus on races in the county, such as township trustee races.

Brinkman appeared to fall in the latter category. Brinkman told The Enquirer in January he favored a ''pragmatic" approach.

“Are we going to win city council and the mayoralty in Cincinnati?” Brinkman said. "No. Not under the current demographics. Can we win trusteeships out in the county, Harrison and those places? Yes, and we need to do well in those races."

Mock has said he doesn't think all is lost for Republicans in the city of Cincinnati.

"We need to have a voice to have people accountable in the city," Mock said.

Mock served as a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge from 2004 until being elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals in 2015. He served on the Ohio Court of Appeals until 2021 after he was defeated by Judge Ginger Bock. He currently works as a chief assistant prosecuting attorney in the county prosecutor's municipal division, which is responsible for prosecuting misdemeanors outside of the Cincinnati city limits.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is the new Hamilton County Republican Party chairman?