Marty Hume, a longtime Mahoning County assistant prosecutor, is the Democratic nominee for the 33rd Ohio Senate District on the Nov. 5 ballot now that after all the other candidates withdrew from consideration.

Hume will face Republican Al Cutrona of Canfield, a state representative since May 2020, who started serving June 26 as state senator.

Five candidates for the Democratic appointment initially applied to be on the ballot.

Youngstown 5th Ward Councilman Pat Kelly and Jess Conard of East Palestine, Appalachia director for Beyond Plastics, withdrew before the July 1 deadline. Kelly withdrew because of commitments to his position and Conard’s employer told her she couldn’t run and keep her job, said Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson.

Youngstown 1st Ward Councilman Julius Oliver withdrew Tuesday, saying he was concerned about what’s going on in the city and didn’t know who would replace him.

That left Hume of Youngstown and David Mosure of Boardman, a retired principal for MS Consultants Inc.

Anderson said Mosure informed him Thursday he was getting a job “that would be in conflict with holding elected office” and withdrew.

With Hume, a former Youngstown law director, as the only candidate left, he was officially selected to be the party’s nominee for the Senate district, Anderson said.

The process could have been reopened, but Anderson said, “We’re incredibly happy with Marty. He’s been one of the clear-cut favorites since the beginning.”

The selection of who received the nomination was determined by the Democratic Party chairmen and secretaries in Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties, which make up the Senate district. The selection was done by appointment, instead of through primaries, because of the timing of Republican Michael Rulli’s resignation on June 12 from the state Senate to become a congressman.

Five of the six Democrats — the Columbiana County secretary was absent — met Thursday with Hume and voted for him. The parties were going to have a Zoom meeting Monday with the candidates to allow the public to ask questions, but that has been canceled, Anderson said.

“We’re over the moon with Marty’s campaign and what he brings to the table,” Anderson said. “He’s had success in the public and private sector as well as a great deal of political knowledge.”

Anderson said the four other candidates had legitimate reasons for withdrawing.

“It’s not like anyone gave a second thought that this wasn’t winnable,” he said. “We coalesced around someone who can win.”

Hume said he is “enormously proud” to have the party’s nomination.

“They made the right decision,” he said. “I was the first one to apply. My commitment to the race is a factor in being the last person standing. I have a record of achievement, a record of helping the community.”

Hume said his priorities, if he wins the election, are keeping the community safe, reducing property taxes by implementing a constitutional funding mechanism for public schools, working to provide high-speed internet to places in the state — particularly in the state Senate district — that don’t have it, working on child care issues and working in a bipartisan fashion for economic development for the district.

Hume has unsuccessfully run for judicial seats on the Youngstown Municipal Court in 2019 as well as Girard Municipal Court and the 11th District Court of Appeals.

“I’m looking forward to drawing a contrast between the two candidates,” Hume said of Cutrona. “The incumbent is out of the mainstream.”

CUTRONA

Republican chairs and secretaries in the district’s three counties voted 4-2 on June 12 for Cutrona to be the party’s nominee. State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana, got the two other votes.

The Ohio Senate Republican Caucus appointed Cutrona on June 26 to serve the rest of the year. The caucus had vowed to appoint whoever was selected by the six Republican officials in the district to the seat to permit that person to be the incumbent.

Cutrona served during the state Senate’s June 26 session. The Senate isn’t scheduled to resume session until after the Nov. 5 election.

Cutrona succeeded Rulli, R-Salem, who resigned June 12 after being elected the day before to the open 6th Congressional District seat in a special election.

The winner of the Cutrona-Hume race will fill out the remaining two years of Rulli’s unexpired term.

The district favors Republicans by about 9.5% based on partisan statewide voting results during the past decade.

Anderson said he likes Hume’s chances against Cutrona, who he criticized for doing nothing in the state Legislature except switch jobs and introduce radical legislation such as prohibiting public libraries from allowing those under age 18 to borrow or view materials deemed “harmful to juveniles” without parental consent.

Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Tom McCabe said of Cutrona, “His respect both here locally and in Columbus is a testament to his leadership. The past 50-plus years of Democrat control in this area had left us without leadership in Columbus. It is clear that the shift in local politics and the job that Al has done for this area made it difficult for the local Democratic Party to come up with viable candidates to run this November. Al has done a great job for us the last four years, and the voters have rewarded him with overwhelming victories.”

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