Competition is scarce in races for county offices in Greater Cincinnati's Ohio counties in the November election.

        Of 28 county races in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties, 19 have only one candidate.

        The primary reason is the Republican dominance in those counties — especially in Butler, Warren and Clermont, where no Democrat holds a county office.

        “If you have a Democratic Party designation in front of your name on the ballot, that virtually dooms you from the beginning,” said Priscilla O'Donnell, chairman of the Clermont County Democratic Party and a former Clermont County Court judge.

        The likelihood of losing makes it tough for the Democratic Party in those four counties to recruit candidates to run for county offices. Few Democrats want to invest time and money in races they have no chance of winning.

        In Hamilton County, 12 out of 14 county races are uncontested. In Butler, it's three out of seven; in Warren, two out of four; and in Clermont, two out of three.

        “Those counties are so strongly Republican that the Democrats have a difficult time getting somebody to make a commitment to a race they probably can't win,” said Joe Statzer, political director of the Butler County Republican Party.

        The problem becomes even more acute in judicial races.

        Of the 19 uncontested county races in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont, 15 are judicial races. None of the contested races involves incumbent judges.

        Although judges' races are nonpartisan on the ballot, political parties endorse judicial candidates and contribute money to their campaigns.

        Attorneys who run against incumbent judges risk jeopardizing their careers if they lose because they'll have to argue their cases in front of them.

        “That's asking a lot of a lawyer,” said Dan Gattermeyer, chairman of the Butler County Republican Party and former county prosecutor. “Not many are willing to risk a lifetime of ill will from running for office.”

        “You know what kind of situation you're in,” said Earl Sizemore, chairman of the Warren County Democratic Party. “You just have to do the best you can with it.”

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