LISBON — Columbiana County Municipal Court Judge Katelyn Dickey, a conservative Republican, announced Thursday that she will run for the Seventh District Court of Appeals in 2024 against incumbent Democrat David D’Apolito.

Dickey, born and raised in Columbiana County, was first elected to the bench in 2019. She won a closely contested Republican primary and then defeated, by 18 points, a general election opponent who’d previously served as a judge.

“I always valued my work as an attorney but serving as a trial court judge has been the highlight of my legal career,” Dickey said. “I’m ready to take my judicial experience and conservative values and serve a bigger part of my community on the Seventh District Court of Appeals. I look forward to running a more expansive and even more enthusiastic campaign across the eight counties of the Seventh District.”

Dickey also announced the endorsement of Columbiana County Republican Party Chairman David Johnson.

“No party official understands campaigns in this region better than Chairman Johnson,” Dickey observed. “His strong support will be a major asset to our effort. I’m honored by his endorsement.”

The Dickey campaign will again be advised by Mark R. Weaver, Ryan Stubenrauch and the other top political consultants at Politics Counsel, an Ohio consulting firm that has helped elect more Ohio Republican judges than any other firm in the nation. Their past clients have included numerous Ohio Supreme Court justices and many incumbent judges in the Mahoning Valley.

Currently, the Seventh District Court of Appeals is evenly split with two Democrat judges and two Republican judges. In 2024, only the seat held by incumbent D’Apolito will be on the ballot. Should Dickey win her race, the court will be comprised of a majority of Republicans. The court hears cases from eight Ohio counties: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe and Noble.