Fanon Rucker, 32, is expected to win the party's formal endorsement Sunday now that Jody Luebbers, the only other Democrat in the race, has withdrawn her name from the list of candidates for the Nov. 2 general election for the politically powerful office.

Ohio Treasurer Joe Deters and two other Republicans, Melissa Powers and James Rueger, also are running as write-in candidates. Deters, a former county prosecutor, entered the race Monday after Prosecutor Mike Allen withdrew from the race nearly three weeks after he admitted to an extramarital affair with a female lawyer in his office.

Luebbers said she decided to drop out because the "dynamics of the race have changed" since she became a candidate last week. Deters is by far the best-known candidate in the field, and Rucker has said he would remain in the race with or without the Democratic endorsement.

"I'm glad to see we're narrowing the field," Rucker said Wednesday. "People can see they have some pretty clear choices to make."

Tim Burke, the county's Democratic Party chairman, said he expects party officials to endorse Rucker when they meet Sunday. Rucker, a Cincinnati lawyer and a former Cincinnati prosecutor, kicked off his campaign Wednesday with a rally at Integrity Hall in Bond Hill.

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