Prominent Republican judge leaves party, cites Donald Trump as 'a big part of it'

A prominent Republican judge and politician in Hamilton County has ditched the Republican Party.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Leslie Ghiz said former President Donald Trump played "a big part of it" as she has wrestled with what party she wants to run in and whether she wants to run for reelection at all.

Ghiz, who had been a Republican during her previous runs for Cincinnati City Council and judge, tried to get the endorsement of the Hamilton County Democratic Party for her reelection campaign in 2024. The Hamilton County Democrats declined this month to endorse her, according to Ghiz and Hamilton County Democratic Chair Gwen McFarlin. Neither Ghiz nor McFarlin gave a reason for why they didn't endorse her.

Ghiz is now considering running as an independent.

"I was assessing on where I stood on matters and I feel like I didn't have a home one way or the other," Ghiz told The Enquirer Tuesday, a day after she withdrew her petition to run as a Democrat.

Ghiz didn't want to get specific on why she left the Republican Party. The Enquirer asked Ghiz whether Trump had anything to do with her decision.

"That was a big part of it," Ghiz said, declining to detail what she thinks of Trump.

"I'm not going to go into that," she said. "I've got too much going on to let him spoil my day."

Ghiz started her political career in 2005 when she won election to Cincinnati City Council. She served on city council until 2011. In 2012, she was elected as a Common Pleas Court judge, winning reelection in 2018.

She described her politics as "middle of the road."

"I'm trying to figure out where I fit right now," Ghiz said.

Her defection from the Republican Party could have big implications for a fading Republican Party in an increasingly Democratic county. Democrats hold all but two countywide offices, prosecutor and engineer. Ghiz is still listed as one of four Republican Common Pleas Court judges on the Hamilton County Republican Party website.

Hamilton County GOP Chairman Russ Mock declined to comment until after the partisan filing deadline passes on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, two Republicans and two Democrats have filed to run for two of the seats on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

While the deadline to file as a Republican or Democrat is Wednesday, Dec. 20, the deadline to run as an independent in the judicial race is March 18. In the meantime, Ghiz said she would weigh her options.

"So I don't really know, at this point," Ghiz said. "I'm looking over independent, what the options are with that, and that kind of thing. And I've got time. I don't have to make a decision right this second."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Leslie Ghiz left the Republican Party