Campaign donations for a Warren County primary race highlight the split between the county’s Republican party.
Lebanon Mayor Mark Messer is challenging incumbent Tom Grossmann in the Republican primary race for Warren County Commissioner. Campaign funding records filed with the county’s Board of Elections show Messer raised more than $51,000, while Grossmann, who’s served as commissioner since 2015, raised just over $12,000.
The pre-primary reports show the money candidates raised this year from individuals and political action committees through April 15.
Donations show divide in Warren County GOP
Some of Messer’s donors also made accusations against the Warren County GOP’s current leadership earlier this year.
South Lebanon Mayor Linda Burke ‒ who’s running for county central committee, the local governing body for political parties ‒ previously told The Enquirer the party sent text messages recruiting Republican candidates to run against her. Burke, who is also a Warren County GOP executive board member, said fellow board members demanded she retract statements she made about the party, and threatened to kick her out if she did not.
Burke donated $1,000 to Messer in March. Barbara Spaeth, a Mason city councilmember, donated $150.
Spaeth, a Republican, did not seek the Warren County GOP’s endorsement in her 2025 Mason City Council race. The party mailed political ads to Mason residents supporting its endorsed candidates, and warning that “all other Mason City Council candidates are Democrats,” supported Democrats or beliefs that were not “conservative, common-sense Republican values.”
Spaeth previously told The Enquirer the county GOP was “eating their own” by badmouthing fellow Republicans.
Former Mason Mayor Diana Nelson, current Mayor Josh Styrcula and Warren County Recorder Linda Oda also donated to Messer.
Grossmann supported by fellow commissioners, county GOP
Grossmann, meanwhile, has support from establishment Republicans. He’s endorsed by fellow Commissioner Dave Young and received $1,000 from a political action committee associated with Commissioner Shannon Jones.
The Warren County GOP, which Grossmann previously chaired and his wife currently serves as a vice chair, endorsed him. The county party’s central committee secretary Ginger Lehman, Warren County Sheriff Barry Riley and Board of Elections board member Rebecca Bailey also donated.
Local developer donated $40k to Messer
Justin Conger, president and CEO of Conger Construction Group, donated $40,000 to Messer ‒ the vast majority of his pre-primary contributions. Conger could not immediately be reached for comment.
That donation amount does not violate any contribution limits because there are no contribution limits for county commissioner candidates set by the state, Ben Kindel, spokesperson for the Ohio Secretary of State said in an email.
Any limits on contributions to commissioner candidates would be set by a local ordinance, Kindel said. Brian Sleeth, director of the Warren County Board of Elections, was not aware of any local ordinance that sets a contribution limit for county commissioner candidates.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Campaign donations show divide in county GOP
Reporting by Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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