YOUNGSTOWN — Two cousins of Ohio Democratic Chairwoman Kathleen Clyde withdrew as candidates for the party’s 33rd District state central committeeman and committeewoman positions.

Renee M. Kenneally, Clyde’s cousin, who was appointed by the chairwoman in December to the state committee, and Kenneally’s brother, Scott Cochran, both formally withdrew from the races. Their names will still appear on the ballot, but any votes for them won’t be counted, and there will be signs posted at polling locations informing voters of that.

The district includes all of Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties.

That leaves Maria Pappas, the Mahoning Democratic Party’s vice chairwoman, and Mike Ray, a Youngstown councilman who is seeking his third term on the state committee, as the only candidates running for the positions.

Clyde’s December appointment of Kenneally raised questions with Mahoning Democratic officials. Kenneally had no involvement with the party and the appointment was made without consulting local party officials.

“No one knows this woman, and she hasn’t served in the party,” Pappas said.

Regarding Kenneally and Cochran, Mahoning Democratic Chairman Chris Anderson said the party was “grateful they put their names forward, and we look forward to getting to know them.”

Kenneally couldn’t be reached Tuesday to comment on her withdrawal.

Clyde appointed Kenneally, executive director of the Mahoning County Bar Association, in December to replace Joyce Kale-Pesta, who died in April 2025.

Cochran, an attorney, said he got in the race to support his cousin, who will be up for reelection as state party chair in late May.

“I thought I wanted to do it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit the time,” Cochran said. “I wanted to support my cousin. I’m not that familiar with the process. I saw no one else was in there so I filed.”

But Ray filed in early February, as did Cochran, and is serving his second four-year term on the state central committee.

While state and local Democrats say Clyde asked Cochran and Kenneally to withdraw, Cochran said he made the decision himself and his cousin didn’t ask him to get out of the race.

Clyde, through a spokesman, declined to comment.

Pappas said running unopposed doesn’t change how she will campaign for the job.

“It’s an important role and my lifetime of service makes me the ideal person for the position,” Pappas said. “We have a lot of work to do in our party and our state. People have been confused by the MAGA movement.”

Ray said, “I’ve supported party candidates and done work for the party for the past two decades. I’m not sure where the miscommunication (with the state party) came from. I’m supporting Democrats. I’m more about unifying and working together than battling with folks. We need to be running in the same direction.”

The primary responsibility of those elected to the state central committee is to elect a chair. Clyde was elected state party chairwoman June 10 to an unexpired term, with other candidates withdrawing before a vote was taken when it became obvious she would win.

State Sen. Bill DeMora, who was a longtime state Democratic Party official, was one of the candidates who dropped out. DeMora is planning to run in May for the position.

There are a handful of central committee seats in which there is a fight between candidates who support Clyde and DeMora.

The state party was apparently under the impression that the 33rd District seats were among those races, so Clyde appointed Kenneally and asked her and Cochran to run in the May 5 Democratic primary.