Tired of the political infighting, Trumbull County Republican Party Chairman Julia Shutt said she won’t run for reelection.

Shutt said Tuesday, “My goals were simple: unify, attract and promote. I have seen energy spent on infighting by just a few. It’s like watching a dog fight. I have no dog in that old fight. Our party is at its best when we unite and act like winners. I hope that unity will prevail with the continued attraction of younger members. I did my best promoting the party and its candidates, and I leave with pride in all we achieved together.”

Shutt said the “warring factions” in the party can “fight it out without me. I want to support the party and the candidates, but not the infighting. There are people in the party who supported me greatly and said great things about the job I was doing, and then there were plenty who were critical and kept hamstringing me and my board.”

Despite unprecedented success during the past four years, Trumbull Republicans have had five party chairs serve during the current four-year term won June 10, 2022, by Kenneth Kline because of political infighting.

Kline’s July 18, 2022, resignation led to Robert Carr, then first vice chairman, serving as interim chairman until the party elected Mike Bollas on Aug. 4, 2022. Bollas resigned Nov. 8, 2024, with Jim Dunlap, the first vice chairman, taking over on an interim basis until Shutt was elected Dec. 3, 2024, winning on a second ballot by one vote.

Also, multiple other party officers resigned while numerous attempts to remove Niki Frenchko, a former county commissioner, as auxiliary chairwoman have failed.

The party will meet June 4 to elect a chair to what is supposed to be a four-year term.

County Commissioner Denny Malloy, who lost the Republican primary May 5 to Michael J. Hovis, said he would be interested in running for party chairman if the situation is right.

Malloy said, “We’ll have to see who’s there and who’s got the right intentions. If I don’t see the party coming together, it’s a waste of time. If the right people come together, it’s something that would interest me. No one wants to drive a jalopy. Having five chairmen in four years is wrong.”

Malloy said his faction recruited several people who won seats on the central committee, which votes for party officers.

“It’s advantageous to my group,” Malloy said.

Marleah Campbell, president of the Conservative Club of Trumbull County, which was created in June 2025 by those dissatisfied with the way the Trumbull Republican Party operated, said she has no interest in running for chair. Campbell lost to Shutt by one vote on Dec. 3, 2024, in the second round of voting after the first vote ended in a tie.

Campbell, who resigned in October as the Trumbull Republican secretary, said she is happy with her club and the success the candidates it backed in the recent primary had.

Shutt said she is proud of her time leading the party, saying, “I am handing off the leadership of the (party) in sound financial order and now in compliance with all state election laws.”

Shutt said the party has a “fully functioning website and successfully held four profitable fundraisers. We created an event template where we can now raise funds for both state and local candidates at the same time.”

Shutt also said the party has successfully collaborated with other Republican organizations.

But Shutt acknowledged she was unable to bring the two factions in the party together.

It’s been a problem for every person who’s led the party during the past four years.

Trumbull was a Democratic stronghold for almost 90 years until the rise of President Donald Trump in 2016. Republicans won every contested race on the 2022 and 2024 ballots.

But almost as many Democrats voted in their party’s primary two weeks ago as Republicans, despite there being a number of competitive GOP races and virtually nothing contested for Democrats to consider.

The results of the primary election raised concerns among Trumbull Republican leaders about the Nov. 3 general election.