COLUMBUS — The Ohio Republican Party chose not to endorse a candidate in the crowded 13th Congressional District primary field.

The party’s state central committee met Friday in Columbus to endorse candidates in the March 17 primary.

It endorsed all 12 of its incumbent U.S. House members — including Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, in the 6th District and Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, in the 14th District — as well as Laverne Gore in the 11th District, which includes Cleveland and its surrounding area. The incumbent in the 11th is Marcia Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights.

But Republicans chose not to endorse in the 13th District as well as the 3rd and 9th — the three other congressional districts in Ohio with incumbent Democrats.

The party’s state central committee endorsed based on recommendations from its Ohio House and Senate caucuses and from its committee members, said Evan Machan, party spokesman. The committee didn’t back every recommended candidate.

“We did not receive any recommendations” for the 13th District so there was no vote, Machan said.

The 13th — which includes most of Mahoning and Trumbull counties — is represented by Tim Ryan, D-Howland, who is running unopposed in his party’s primary for his 10th two-year term.

There are seven Republicans seeking to win the party’s March 17 primary and face Ryan in the general election.

They are Christina M. Hagan of Marlboro Township, Duane Hennen of Warren, Louis G. Lyras of Campbell, Jason Mormando of Austintown, Robert J. Santos of Austintown, Robert A. Morckel of Akron and Donald Truex of Rittman.

Hagan, the only candidate of the seven to hold elected office, said: “While we could have captured the endorsement of the state party and Vice Chair Bryan Williams was personally willing to make that recommendation, our campaign’s focus is and will remain on winning the endorsement of the voters. I appreciate the role that the state party plays, but my emphasis has and will always be focused on conveying our message to the community and winning the support of the people I will directly represent if sent to serve them in Washington.”

Hagan served as a state representative from March 2011 to December 2018. She lost the 2018 Republican primary for the 16th Congressional District seat to Anthony Gonzalez 53.1 percent to 40.8 percent. Gonzalez received the party’s endorsement in the 2018 primary.

Hagan lives in Marlboro Township in Stark County, which is in the 7th Congressional District. Truex lives in Rittman in Wayne County, which is in the 16th District. There is no law forbidding someone from outside the district running for a congressional seat as long as they are Ohio residents.

The party endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election. He’s running unopposed in the Ohio Republican primary.

The party’s state central committee also endorsed in several contested Ohio House and Senate primaries.

One primary the party didn’t endorse in was the Senate’s 32nd District race, which includes all of Trumbull County, between Sandra O’Brien of Rome and Kenneth J. Polke of Ashtabula. The party didn’t receive a recommendation for an endorsement in that race, Machan said.

The party endorsed unopposed candidates including state Rep. Don Manning, R-New Middletown, in the Ohio House’s 59th District.

Other unopposed candidates receiving the Republican endorsement are challengers to Democratic incumbents including Dave Simon of Youngstown in the House’s 58th District, Michael Loychik of Cortland in the 63rd District and Martha Yoder of West Farmington in the 64th District.

Those endorsed get to use the party’s voter data, email lists and discounts on campaign mail.