While several candidates are expected to file for two Trumbull County commissioner seats up in next year’s election, there is nothing more intriguing than what Niki Frenchko, one of the incumbents, plans to do.

Frenchko, a Republican, has nominating petitions for both the seat she holds, as well as for the seat currently held by Democrat Mauro Cantalamessa, seeking re-election.

To be polite, the two don’t get along.

Frenchko will face a Republican opponent in the primary regardless of her decision. Not only does Frenchko have to figure out which Republican is easier to defeat, she has to decide if challenging Cantalamessa, a 10-year incumbent, is a better option than facing whoever emerges from the Democratic primary for her current seat, should she win her primary.

Also, there are independents planning to run for commissioner next year, and they have the luxury of waiting to file nominating petitions until March 18, 2024, one day before the partisan party primaries.

Those wanting to run as Democrats and Republicans must file by Dec. 20.

Frenchko told me she didn’t know which seat she’d seek.

Frenchko also said she has no problem with several candidates challenging her.

“If I ended up with a lot of competition, the more the merrier,” she said.

Cantalamessa said of a potential Frenchko challenge: “It doesn’t change what I do.”

Frenchko was elected in 2020, defeating 16-year incumbent Democrat Dan Polivka by 4.66 percent. It was a good year for Trumbull Republicans with Donald Trump being the first Republican presidential candidate in 88 years to win the once-reliable Democratic county twice in a row.

Tim Ryan, a Democratic congressman for two decades, lost Trumbull, his home county; Mike Loychik, a Republican running for office for the first time, won a state House seat held for decades by Democrats; and the Republican coroner candidate lost by only 1.76 percent.

Republicans appeared to miss out on a rare opportunity to succeed even further by not fielding candidates for the seven other county executive branch seats and besides Coroner Lawrence D’Amico and Polivka, the only Democratic incumbent to face a challenge that year was Cantalamessa, who beat Denny Malloy, running as an independent, by 7.9 percent.

Republicans had greater success in 2022 despite some candidates running without support from the party. For example, Malloy ran as a Republican for an open commissioner seat and beat Michael J. O’Brien, one of the most successful Trumbull Democratic politicians in decades, by 2.56 percent. During the 2022 election, every Republican on the ticket won in Trumbull, changing the tide in the county.

With all of that Republican momentum, it would be reasonable to believe Frenchko’s re-election effort would be easy.

But it isn’t. Frenchko is polarizing.

Frenchko frequently disputes Cantalamessa and Malloy, along with Democrat Frank Fuda, former county commissioner who campaigned for her in 2020 against Polivka and then often argued with her during the two years they served together.

Fuda opted not to seek re-election last year, something that Frenchko points to as an accomplishment.

Frenchko has been criticized by members of her own party.

Frenchko said she doesn’t expect much support from the county Republican Party establishment, saying she hasn’t been invited to the last two party officers meetings. Since June 2022, Frenchko has served as the party’s auxiliary chairwoman and during that time, efforts were made to remove her.

Instead of focusing on fielding challengers to her, Frenchko urged party officials to find candidates for all of the other county positions on the 2024 ballot.

Hubbard Township Trustee Rick Hernandez, who lost to Malloy in the 2022 Republican primary after both affiliated themselves with the GOP, said he is running for Frenchko’s spot in next year’s Republican primary.

“My primary reason for running is the chaos and the toxicity created in that office” by Frenchko, Hernandez said.

Frenchko said she didn’t believe Hernandez’s work history qualifies him to be a commissioner.

There are other Republicans who pulled petitions for Frenchko’s seat, but Hernandez is the most viable challenger.

Tony Bernard of Howland, a former county commissioner in the 1970s, said he is planning to run as a Republican for Cantalamessa’s seat.

Also, Democrats are lining up for Frenchko’s seat including Polivka; John Brown, Warren City Council president; and Michele Garman, a Mathews school board member.