There’s going to be yet another change at the top of the Trumbull County Republican Party.

Despite the tremendous success Republican candidates have recently experienced in Trumbull County — winning every contested race on the 2022 and 2024 ballots — the party is plagued by political infighting.

Part of the problem is there are a lot of newer Republicans — several are either former Democrats or weren’t politically involved — who want to do things a certain way with established Republicans not agreeing. Part of the problem is personalities, as some people simply dislike others and don’t care to hide it.

The Republican Party was largely irrelevant in Trumbull for decades until Donald Trump first ran for president in 2016. Trump is the first Republican ever to win the county in three straight presidential elections and is largely responsible for the GOP sweeps in the last two elections.

During the 2024 election, Trump’s coattails were enough to bring victory to a number of Republicans over well-established Democrats.

Trumbull Republicans have fought among themselves for years. But it has gotten significantly worse in the past few years.

That friction was on display during the May 5 Republican primary, particularly in the races for county commission and probate court judge.

The Republicans have selected three different chairs during the current four-year term won June 10, 2022, by Kenneth Kline because of the infighting with two others serving as interim chairmen.

Julia Shutt, the last person elected Dec. 3, 2024, to finish the term, said she isn’t going to seek reelection, only two weeks after telling me she was going to run for reelection.

There were also several party officers who resigned in the past few years because they were tired of the arguing and personal issues.

Shutt said the “warring factions (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.”

When Shutt was elected, she had lived in Trumbull County for four years and was involved in the local GOP for three years. Shutt faced criticism from those in the party for weak leadership and focusing on redecorating the party headquarters.

Shutt said under her leadership, the party’s finances are in sound order after inheriting “disorganized bookkeeping,” compliant with all state election laws, had four profitable fundraisers, and is working with other Republican organizations and leading local business leaders.

The faction led by political consultant Regina McManus recruited several people who won seats on the central committee, which votes for party officers, said county Commissioner Denny Malloy, a McManus ally.

Malloy said he is 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 lost his reelection bid for commissioner to Michael J. Hovis, aligned with the Conservative Club of Trumbull County, which is led by Marleah Campbell, the party’s former secretary who lost to Shutt for chairwoman by one vote.

Jim Dunlap, the party’s first vice chairman and one of those who led the party for a few weeks on an interim basis, said he is running for chairman.

Dunlap said, “Somebody’s got to save the party from the subversive faction that has caused so much trouble and infighting for at least the last five years. It started in 2021, and it hasn’t let up.”

Dunlap pointed to Malloy as one of those from the “subversive faction,” saying, “If he’s elected chair, it’s going to be a disaster for the party and tear it apart.”

Dunlap said, “I hope we have people in the party with the wisdom to make the right decision.”

David Skolnick covers local, state and national politics for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.