Former Trumbull county commissioner Niki Frenchko has officially taken the first step towards a possible Congressional run, filing a "statement of organization" with the Federal Elections Commission. 

Frenchko filed the paperwork Friday to form "Frenchko for Ohio," listing the office being sought as the 14th Congressional district seat currently held by Republican Dave Joyce. Frenchko, also a Republican, would challenge Joyce in the 2026 primary. 

The filing lists a web site for the candidacy, FrenchkoforOhio.com, which does not yet appear to be active. 

Frenchko served one term as a Trumbull county commissioner, a tenure which was marked by repeated clashes with the other commissioners over proper county procedures, budgeting and transparency. 

Those clashes were perhaps most on display when Frenchko was arrested during a June 2022 board meeting, accused of unlawfully disrupting a public meeting. That arrest stemmed from Frenchko publicly criticizing then-sheriff Paul Monroe over treatment of inmates in the Trumbull county jail.

After a letter was read from Monroe demanding an apology from Frenchko at the meeting, which was not on the agenda, Frenchko attempted to defend her position. It was at that point a deputy approached and removed her from the meeting, where she was booked before the charges were dismissed. 

Frenchko sued over the arrest and subsequent missing text messages leading up to the arrest she argues prove that the matter was a coordinated effort on behalf of Monroe and the other commissioners. 

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio granted partial judgement in Frenchko's favor, finding that her arrest violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights. That was subsequently appealed and partially reversed. The matter is now back before the Northern District. 

Frenchko's term in office was also marked by her publicly calling attention to allegations of human trafficking taking place in a building owned by her challenger, Rick Hernandez. Hernandez went on to defeat Frenchko in the primary and went on to become commissioner, but the building was raided by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and one woman, Furong Li, plead guilty to one count of soliciting. 

Hernandez has not been charged with any crime and has denied knowledge of illegal conduct in the building, although body camera video was subsequently uncovered that showed police informing him of what they'd found inside that Hernandez went on to publicly deny after the fact. His cell phone was seized by the Task Force as a part of the investigation, but it's not clear if the investigation remains open. 

In her final days in office, Frenchko was outspoken in her efforts to save Trumbull Regional Medical Center, which was then-owned by Steward Health but was sold to Insight Health as a part of Steward's bankruptcy. Insight took over the hospital at the beginning of 2025, but struggled to keep it open before closing in March and then again near the end of the year. 

Frenchko has not formally announced her candidacy, but issued the following statement: 

"Over the past few months, I have received countless calls encouraging me to run for office again, because our current elected officials choose not to listen to our concerns. We need leaders who will stand with President Trump, fighting for secure borders, a more affordable economy, an unwavering commitment to public safety. Stay tuned for my decision."