A special election will be held on June 11 to decide who will fill the vacancy in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District.
Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli and Democrat Michael Kripchak will face off in a special election that will decide who will represent Ohio’s eastern border in Congress.
Former congressman Bill Johnson left his congressional seat early this year as he began his fresh role as president of Youngstown State University. Since 2011, Johnson has represented the Sixth Congressional District.
Rulli and Kripchak won the main race of the respective parties in March. Early voting is underway for the June special election, and polls will be open on June 11 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The 6th Congressional District includes Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe, Noble, Stark, Tuscarawas and Washington counties.
Michael Rulli
Rulli, who he currently represents Columbiana and Mahoning Countieshas served in the Ohio Senate since 2019.
He currently serves as chairman of the General Board Committee, vice chairman of the Special Committee on Rail Safety, and vice chairman for workforce and higher education. He also serves on the Small Business, Economic Opportunity and Transportation committees.
Because Rulli is term-limited in the Ohio Senate, he planned to run for Ohio Secretary of State, bornbut everything changed when Johnson resigned in November.
“I talked to Bill Johnson and he thought it would be a good fit,” Rulli said, noting that he has historically been reluctant to run against Johnson.
“I’m a team player,” he said. “I would never challenge Bill. Of course I would love to be in Congress. … You know, when this started, I had all the phone calls and I found myself in a very unique situation.”
Part of the Sixth Congress includes the counties he currently represents in the Ohio Senate Rulli said his experience in the House of Representatives sets him apart from his opponent.
“Working to pass the bill is probably the most complicated process I have ever experienced in my career,” Rulli said. I will do everything in my power to get (the bill) across the finish line.”
Rulli was born and raised in Mahoning County and is the chief operating officer of Rulli Bros. Markets in Youngstown.
His second term lasts about a year and a half, which means he still has a little two and a half years left in his term. If elected, Senate Majority Leader Rob McColley and Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, would choose someone to succeed Rulli for the rest of the year. Then the candidate who will have completed the last two years of his term will appear on the November ballot.
Michał Kripczak
This is Democrat Michael Kripchak is running for office for the first time.
Kripchak was born and raised in Youngstown. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in physics.
“It was a formative time for me,” he said.
After serving in the Air Force, he lived in Los Angeles and worked in the entertainment industry as an actor and writer. Appeared in In search of fortune2017 indie drama.
He then obtained a master’s degree in interactive telecommunications from the University of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań New York University Tisch School of the Arts and returned to Youngstown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to lend a hand his parents.
Much of Kripchak’s campaign focuses on restoring the American dream.
“That obviously means putting money in people’s pockets and really ensuring that people in our communities have the opportunity and empowerment to have a living wage, not just a living wage,” Kripchak said.
He admits that he had never considered running for office before.
“Four or five years ago, I had no interest in politics at all,” Kripchak said.
So why did he decide to run for Congress?
“I’m running because of January 6 and we can’t give ourselves to a fraudster from Queens,” he said. “And the answer to that is to fix our wealth gap and give people a living wage, not just a living wage. … (located in the House of Representatives), where most of our problems currently lie. … We need to bring in someone who chooses country over party, because party over country is killing us.”
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