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Editors Note: This story was edited to correct inaccurate information.
McKINLEY HEIGHTS -- The Trumbull County Democratic Party gave its endorsements to a former county commissioner seeking to recapture the seat as well as two other candidates.
In the tightest race Tuesday, Kara Leonard Stanford beat Jack Pico 56-55 for the party's endorsement for a domestic relations / juvenile court judicial seat, term starting Jan. 1, 2025.
The party gave strong support to Christopher D. Becker in his bid for a common pleas court general division judicial seat, term starting Jan. 3, 2025, over Thomas R. Wright 75-38.
Also, Dan Polivka, a former 16-year county commissioner, was endorsed in a four-person race for his old seat. Polivka received 58 votes to 30 for Howland Trustee James J. LaPolla, 18 for Warren City Council President John Brown and three for Michele Garman, a Mathews school board member.
Polivka needed at least 50% of the vote plus one to avoid a second ballot -- and did even better than that.
Regarding the endorsement, Polivka said: "It's an important shot in the arm to get it, particularly because it was so overwhelming on the first ballot. I'm very happy to get the party's endorsement."
Polivka, a former county Democratic Party chairman, lost his bid for a fifth, four-year commissioner term in 2020 when Republican Niki Frenchko beat him by 4.6%.
Frenchko is seeking reelection and is being challenged in the Republican primary by Hubbard Trustee Rick Hernandez.
Winning by just one vote, Leonard Stanford said: "I can't take anything for granted. I did my work, meeting people and getting their support. I'm very happy my hard work was recognized."
She added: "The endorsement was very important to me, but there's certainly a lot of work to do. I appreciate the support of the party."
Leonard Stanford has served as a family court magistrate since 2019.
She beat Pico, who lost the 2018 Democratic primary for the other domestic relations / juvenile court seat, and has been a family court magistrate since 2016. He also held the magistrate position from 1997 to 2006.
"When you're dealing with this, the biggest problem is you don't know who will show up," Pico said of losing by one vote. "A lot of my supporters are from Hubbard and they went to their council meeting" instead of the party's endorsement vote.
Pico added: "It's frustrating when you don't have enough people come. But it is what it is."
Judge Sandra Stabile Harwood, a Democrat, could not run for reelection this year because of the state's judicial age limits law.
The winner of the Democratic primary March 19 will face Republican David Engler in the Nov. 5 general election.
Becker said of his endorsement for common pleas judge: "It's great to have the support of your party. It means the world to have that support behind you, and we're going to try to snowball it into even more support."
Becker has worked at the county prosecutor's office since December 2000 and has served as first assistant prosecuting attorney since 2010. This is his first bid for elected office.
Becker got the endorsement over Thomas R. Wright, who spent 12 years as a member of the 11th District Court of Appeals before losing reelection in 2022.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Sarah Thomas Kovoor in the Nov. 5 general election.
The seat is open because incumbent Andrew D. Logan, a Democrat, couldn't run for another term because of the state's age limit law on judges.