Former Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson is tossing her hat in the ring for the Democratic Party endorsement to run for the state House of Representatives.

Ms. Hicks-Hudson is one of three Democrats who applied as of Friday’s noon deadline to seek the Lucas County Democratic Party’s endorsement for the 44th House District seat now held by incumbent Rep. Michael Ashford (D., Toledo), according to party Chairman Joshua Hughes.

The party also was seeking candidates for a variety of other open seats, including an upcoming vacancy on Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Mr. Ashford is barred by term limits from running again, and is seen as the frontrunner for the party’s appointment to replace Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz when the party’s central committee meets Tuesday. The Democratic nomination for the 44th District, which overlaps central Toledo, virtually guarantees election to the seat in heavily Democratic Toledo.

Also putting in their names are Dominique Warren and Toledo Councilman Tyrone Riley, Mr. Hughes said. Mr. Warren is a former Toledo Youth Commission and Board of Community Relations member, is a staff member for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, and worked on Ms. Hicks-Hudson’s unsuccessful re-election campaign.

Ms. Hicks-Hudson lost a bid for re-election on Nov. 7 and was replaced as mayor on Tuesday when Mr. Kapszukiewicz was sworn in.

Ms. Hicks-Hudson was a city councilman before she became mayor in 2015, and was chief legal counsel in the state office of the budget under Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

The party also received a number of applications for the party’s endorsement for the seat on the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas held by Judge James Bates, who is prohibited by age restrictions from seeking re-election.

Seeking the endorsement are former Maumee Municipal Judge Gary Byers; Joe McNamara and Tom Puffenberger, both of whom are attorneys in the Toledo law department; Lori Olender, deputy chief of the juvenile division of the county prosecutor's office, and Toledo criminal defense attorney Kent Sobran.

The Lucas County Republican Party has not announced a schedule for screening candidates, but at least two GOP candidates are already seen as likely to be endorsed.

Toledo Municipal Judge Joshua Lanzinger confirmed Friday that he intends to run for the Republican nomination for Judge Bates’ seat in Common Pleas court. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gene Zmuda confirmed Friday that he will run for the Republican nomination for a seat to be vacated on the 6th District Court of Appeals. Judge James Jensen is barred from re-election by age restriction. A judge may not be elected after the age of 70.

The Democratic Party received one application for endorsement from Bowling Green attorney Joel Kuhlman for Judge Jensen’s seat on the appeals court.

The filing deadline for the partisan primary on May 8 is Feb. 7.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com, 419-724-6058, or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published January 5, 2018, 8:17 p.m.