YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Democrats won’t meet to endorse for the March 17 primary for the first time in more than a decade, while Trumbull Democrats will vote Jan. 14 on who the party is backing.

There are no current plans for Mahoning Republicans to back candidates in contested congressional primaries and Trumbull Republicans don’t endorse in the primary under their bylaws.

Mahoning Democrats changed the party’s endorsement policy in June 2019 when they voted, effective this year, to eliminate them for open seats and to automatically endorse incumbents in primaries unless a majority of committee members signed a letter asking for a meeting to reconsider backing an incumbent.

Prior to that decision, the party endorsed candidates in the primary from 2010 to 2019 after an absence of more than 15 years.

But even if the old policy existed, there wouldn’t be a need for endorsements as there are no contested Democratic primaries in Mahoning County this year.

“Incumbents are automatically endorsed,” said Kenneth Carano, the party’s elections committee chairman and parliamentarian. “The only way not to be endorsed is if we get a majority objecting to an incumbent. I don’t hear any rumblings of that. It’s not going to happen.”

The only contested Republican races in Mahoning County are for the 13th and 6th Congressional District positions.

Republican Chairman Thomas McCabe is personally endorsing Christina Hagan, a former state representative in the 13th, and incumbent Bill Johnson in the 6th.

When asked if the party would endorse, McCabe said, “It may. It has in the past. The central committee could call a meeting. It’s still early, but one hasn’t been called yet.”

Meanwhile, members of the Trumbull County Democratic Party’s central and executive committees will vote Jan. 14 to endorse in four contested primary races.

Trumbull Democrats will decide who to endorse for county engineer, county prosecutor, county commissioner (the Jan. 3, 2021, term) and for the Ohio House’s 63rd District representative.

The Jan. 14 meeting at Enzo’s Restaurant and Lounge, 2918 Elm Road NE, starts at 6 p.m. with the doors opening an hour earlier, said Jeff Goodman, the party’s parliamentarian.

Unopposed candidates, who are all incumbents, will be endorsed by acclamation, he said.

Each of the candidates in the contested primaries will be permitted to speak before votes are taken.

The party uses paper ballots with the top vote-getter receiving the endorsement.

In races with three candidates, a winner needs to have at least one vote more than 50 percent to get the endorsement, Goodman said. If that doesn’t happen on a first ballot, the candidate with the least amount of votes is dropped from the second round of voting with a majority needed to be endorsed, he said.

The county engineer race pits incumbent Randy Smith against David DeChristofaro, a former county engineer.

The coroner’s race is between Lawrence D’Amico, deputy coroner, and Michael Jurenovich, an orthopaedic surgeon.

The primary for the Jan. 3, 2021, commissioner position has incumbent Dan Polivka, who is also the county Democratic chairman, being challenged by Carl F. Clemens, a member of the county transit board, and David M. Guarino, who used to work at the county sheriff’s office.

The 63rd District primary includes incumbent Gil Blair — appointed to the seat in May because of the resignation of Glenn Holmes — as well as Niles Councilman-at-Large Barry Profato and Werner Lange, who’s unsuccessfully run for various elected posts.

There are contested Republican races in Trumbull County, but the local party’s policy is to not endorse in the primary.

“It’s against our bylaws to endorse in the primary and that’s the way it should be,” said Republican Chairman Kevin Wyndham. “The party shouldn’t be influencing the process. The primary election candidates should be out there proving themselves and be on level ground as much as possible. Once you have the backing of a party (in the primary) it tends to make the candidates lazy and make the voters lazy as a lot of voters will depend on the party’s endorsement.”

The contested Republican contests on the March 17 ballot in Trumbull County include the 13th and 14th Congressional District seats, the Ohio Senate’s 32nd District position, a county commissioner seat (currently held by Polivka), and 32nd District State Central Committeewoman.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com