A competition has developed in Butler County for the Division II seat currently held by Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth.
Attorney Ralph Innes Jr. filed Thursday afternoon for the Aug. 7 primary election, according to the county clerk's office.
He is the second Republican candidate to file. Attorney C. Wade Pierce is also seeing the nomination.
Bloodworth has said he will not seek a sixth term.
The primary will determine which candidates move on to the Nov. 6 general election. Filing ends at 5 p.m. March 27.
At the county level, voters also will select presiding commissioner, prosecutor, county and circuit court clerks, recorder of deeds, treasurer and collector.
The only other Butler County race with multiple candidates currently is for treasurer. Republicans Tammy Marler, Dan Conover and Dennis Shearrer have all filed.
Both treasurer Joe Humphrey and prosecutor Kevin Barbour have indicated they also are not running again.
One candidate has completed all of the documentation necessary to run for prosecutor, Paul Oesterreicher, the current assistant prosecutor.
Former Ripley County assistant prosecutor Kacey Proctor has also completed a portion of the documentation necessary to file for prosecutor. Filing for Proctor will be official when the remainder of the paperwork is complete.
The following current officeholders also have filed for re-election and do not currently have competition: presiding commissioner Vince Lampe; county clerk Tonyi Deffendall; circuit clerk Cindi Bowman; recorder Debby Lundstrom; collector Emily Clark-Parks; and Division III associate circuit judge John Shock.
State races also will be held for U.S. Senate, eight U.S. representatives, state auditor, 17 even numbered state senate districts, 163 state representatives and various judges.