Rulli wins special congressional election (2024)

State Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, right, and David Spencer, general consultant, view early voting results on a laptop Tuesday night at Inner Circle Pizza in Canfield. Rulli won the special election for the 6th Congressional District seat vacated by Bill Johnson, who resigned to become president of Youngstown State University, against Democrat Michael Kripchak. (Photo by R. Michael Semple, Special to The Times)

YOUNGSTOWN – Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli is heading to the U.S. House of Representatives after defeating Democrat Michael L. Kripchak for the open 6th Congressional District seat in a race that was far closer than expected.

Rulli, of Salem, was leading Kripchak of Youngstown 54.6% to 45.4%, according to unofficial results Tuesday with 95% of the district reporting. He was ahead by a little more than 5,000 votes.

Asked about the tight race, Rulli said, “I am absolutely surprised it was this close. We never saw a blowout. We saw 7-10%. It’s the district of Ted Strickland and Charlie Wilson (two Democrats who represented it several years ago). It’s a divided country.”

The district has an 18% advantage to Republicans based on voting results in partisan statewide elections over the past decade. Republican Donald Trump won the district in the 2020 presidential race by 29% over Democrat Joe Biden.

Kripchak couldn’t be reached for comment late Tuesday.

Michael L. Kripchak of Youngstown looks over some paperwork at West Side Bowl in Youngstown while waiting for results of Tuesday’s special election for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District seat. (Photo by R. Michael Semple, Special to The Times)

Rulli said he will resign from his state Senate seat after today’s session and give a goodbye speech. He plans to be sworn in July 25 to his congressional seat.

“I’m very excited, and I’m very humbled,” Rulli said. “The (Republican) primary was the hardest fight of my life. It’s a rough life, but I’m honored that people have faith in me.”

The Board of Elections of Mahoning, the district’s most-populous county, will meet June 27 to certify the results of Tuesday’s election.

Rulli is filling the rest of Republican Bill Johnson’s unexpired term.

Johnson resigned Jan. 21 after 13 years in Congress – many of them spent living in Marietta – to become Youngstown State University president. The 6th District has gone unrepresented since then.

Rulli and Kripchak will face each other again Nov. 5 for a full two-year House term that starts in January.

Rulli hired Mark O’Connell, the vice president of governmental affairs for the Plastic Industry Association, as his chief of staff, and Graham Lescallette, the northeast Ohio district director for U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, as his deputy chief of staff.

He will have staff set up at his congressional office early next week and is still looking to hire others. Rulli said he will reopen Johnson’s Canfield office at the end of this month or early July.

Rulli said he hopes to get appointed to a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — Johnson served on that committee — or Ways and Means, but realizes he probably doesn’t have seniority yet for those assignments.

Alex Triantafilou, Ohio Republican Party chairman, said of Rulli: “I am confident he will do a tremendous job for his constituents, and I look forward to working with him to support our Republican candidates up and down the ballot in November.”

The 6th Congressional District includes all of Washington, Monroe, Noble, Mahoning, Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Belmont and Harrison counties and portions of Stark and Tuscarawas counties.

Kripchak won the early vote with 61% of the vote and saw his lead slip away as those who voted at polling locations Tuesday backed Rulli.

Still, Kripchak won Tuscarawas County. He also was leading in Mahoning by 14 votes, according to unofficial totals.

Carroll was Rulli’s strongest county, winning it with 67.3% of the vote.

Rulli won his home county, Columbiana, with 65.4% of the vote.

Turnout for the special election in Washington County was just under 10%, with Rulli coming out on top by 225 votes. According to final, unofficial results from the county Board of Elections, Rulli received 2,218 votes to Kripchak’s 1,993.

The special election cost about $1 million to hold.

As expected, voter turnout – it was the only race on Tuesday’s ballot during a day that is atypical for elections in Ohio – was very low.

The race between Rulli, who is serving his second four-year term in the state Senate, and Kripchak, a first-time candidate, was relatively low key.

While Rulli had a huge financial advantage over Kripchak, he chose not to do much campaigning for the seat.

Rulli ran on a platform of fostering robust job growth, addressing inflation and ensuring economic stability and immigration reform.

Kripchak’s campaign priorities were creating high-paying, high-skilled jobs in the district; rejuvenating the nation’s public education system; and fixing the failures of the federal farm bill.