September 17, 2026
Panel: Hamilton County Judicial Candidates
Class Description
Electing qualified, principled judges is essential. Judges shape the safety and stability of our communities. Their decisions affect families, children, victims, and defendants every single day.
Join us at the EmpowerU studios to meet a panel of Hamilton County judges who are running for election or re-election so you can familiarize yourselves these Republican candidates. Judicial candidates are not labeled on the ballot as Republican or Democrat. It is the voter’s responsibility to determine before voting where a judge aligns ideologically.
Chris Monzel will be our moderator, and our panelists include:
Probate Court
Judge Ralph Winkler
Juvenile Court
Susan Luken
Court of Common Pleas
Roger Bourchard
Judge Leah Dinkelacker
Judge Robert A. Goering
Dennis Charles Mahoney
Judge Chris McDowell
John Capannari and Becky Foster are both State Central Committee officials for District 9 as well as leaders of the new Hamilton County Grassroots Republicans organization. With the assistance of several others, they formed this organization (with a PAC) recognizing the lack of grassroots activities organized in Hamilton County and regretting the large gap in Republican efforts to win elections.
John and Becky will discuss with inform the EmpowerU audience about the specific work being done this election cycle to inspire Republican voters. Their work includes distributing Republican slate cards, stuffing and distributing campaign literature bags, and holding meet-the-candidate events. The Hamilton County Grassroots Republicans have over 100 engaged volunteers throughout the county and are actively recruiting more. http://www.hcgrassrootsrepublicans.com
Speaker Bio
Chris Monzel has a long history of serving the public including his 8 year stay as a Hamilton County Commissioner ending in 2018, including when he served as President of the Commission. Chris was very involved in the effort to save Union Terminal in 2016. He is an engineer by background and is known for being a fiscal conservative of the public’s money. Also, Chris also served as a Council Member of the Cincinnati City Council.
Learn more about our judicial panelists:
Probate Court:
www.judgeralphwinkler.com
Juvenile Court:
www.lukenforjuvenilecourt.com
Court of Common Pleas:
www.bouchardforjudge.com);
www.keepjudgeleahdinkelacker.com;
www.goeringforjudge.com);
www.mahoneyforjudge.com);
www.keepjudgemcdowell.com)
John Capannari was born and raised in Cincinnati and raised my three kids here with his wife Meg. While volunteering on occasion for candidates, he ramped up his volunteerism when President Trump came down the escalator. He became a prolific volunteer at his Norwood office. Since then, he has become a precinct executive in Hyde Park, continuing to volunteer for local candidates. He was approached to run for State Central Committee against Judge Mock, was also the Hamilton County GOP Chair. John won that election decisively in spring of 2026.
As a result of his discomfort with the trend of Republican candidates losing local elections, John became involved in a Hamilton County grassroots effort to bring a voice to the many local voiceless Republicans. They reach out. They listen. They act upon what constituents want, not the establishment. We get together in peoples’ homes stuffing bags, organizing literature drops in neighborhoods, and fostering relationships.
Becky Foster is a lifelong Cincinnatian whose commitment to family, community, and service led her to become more involved in local politics in 2020 after seeing so many conservative politicians not governing conservatively. At that time, she stepped forward to participate more directly, driven by the belief that everyday citizens strengthen the political process and can really impact outcomes when they choose to engage. Becky has enjoyed a career in Human Resources, currently working as a Senior HR Consultant at Clark Schaefer Strategic HR.