MANSFIELD — Mansfield attorney Jodie Dees on Thursday withdrew her candidacy in the Republican Party primary for Richland County commissioner.
Richland County Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld said Dees came into the office around lunchtime and submitted a letter withdrawing from the race.
She had been on the ballot against incumbent Commissioner Darrell Banks, who is seeking his third term in office.
Dees’ name will not appear on the March 19 ballot since the local elections board has not yet begun testing the primary ballot, according to Finfgeld.
With Dees’ withdrawal, Banks is now unopposed in the primary. He will advance to November to take on Rev. Aaron Williams, who is unopposed in the Democratic Party primary race.
In the other county commissioner race, two-term incumbent Tony Vero is being challenged in the GOP primary by David Morgenstern.
Morgenstern is making his eighth attempt at a commissioners’ seat. He has run every two years since his initial campaign in 2010.
There is no Democrat in the primary, so the winner of the Republican primary has a clear path in the general election.
The voter registration deadline for the primary election is Feb. 20. Early voting begins Feb. 21.
