Ohio Senator Michael A. Rulli looks over primary election results for the Congressional 6th District Republican race with staffer Thomas Datwyler on Tuesday night at the Mahoning County Republican Headquarters in Boardman.

State Sen. Michael Rulli is the apparent winner in the Republican primary for the vacant 6th Congressional District seat while Michael L. Kripchak captured the Democratic primary.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, seeking his seventh two-year term in the 14th Congressional District position, turned back two challengers in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Rulli, R-Salem, won the Republican primary for the 6th District over state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus by about 8%, according to unofficial totals Tuesday.

Rulli lost nine of the district’s 11 counties, but won Columbiana, his home county, by about 32% and Mahoning, which he’s represented for five years in the state Senate, by about 60%.

“This is the privilege of a lifetime,” Rulli said. “We still have another campaign to win on June 11 and we’re gearing up for that” today.

Rulli said the “negative attacks” from Stoltzfus were effective in the nine counties he lost — though the population in most of them are very small.

“We anticipated losing those counties worse than we actually did,” Rulli said. “I’m going to work to get the support of those nine counties.”

Rulli said: “The contrast between (him and Stoltzfus) is huge. I’m a worker. I’m not going to back extremist issues. I’m not in favor of shutting down the government. I’m going to Washington to do the best work I can. It’s all about the blue collar worker who’s been neglected by everybody. They are the backbone or the middle class. They’ve been neglected and ignored and I’m going to work for them.”

Stoltzfus couldn’t be reached late Tuesday to comment on the results.

With the Jan. 21 resignation of Republican Bill Johnson from the congressional seat he held for 13 years to become president of Youngstown State University, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the 6th District had their names twice on Tuesday’s primary ballot.

One was to advance to the June 11 special election to fill the rest of Johnson’s unexpired term.

The other is for the Nov. 5 general election to serve a full two-year term starting in January 2025.

In both Republican primary elections, Rulli beat Stoltzfus of Paris Township and Rick Tsai of East Palestine, who finished in a distant last, according to unofficial results Tuesday.

In both Democratic primaries, Kripchak of Youngstown, a prep cook and food runner for a Columbiana business, defeated Rylan Z. Finzer of Perry Township, who owns a cannabis apothecary business in Bedford Heights, by about 28%, according to unofficial results Tuesday.

“Thanks to everyone who helped me on my campaign and primarily to all the voters who put their trust and faith in me to win in June and November,” Kripchak said.

The district has an 18% advantage to Republicans based on voting trends in partisan statewide elections over the past decade and is considered safe for the GOP.

Asked how he could overcome that, Kripchak said, “It’s all about putting in the work and reminding Americans that we are all Americans first and that the GOP has no vision for our country.”

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

Mahoning is by far the most-populous county in the district.

This was the first time since 2006 that the 6th Congressional District seat had an election without an incumbent.

Rulli’s state Senate district includes Mahoning – the congressional district’s most-populous county – as well as Columbiana and Carroll counties. Rulli was reelected in 2022 to a second four-year term in the state Senate.

Stoltzfus’ Ohio House district includes a portion of Stark, the second most-populous county in the congressional district. He is serving his second two-year term in the state House. Stoltzfus won Stark by about 25%.

This was the first political run for Tsai, a chiropractor.

Kripchak sought to run for the congressional seat in 2022, but failed to qualify because of problems with his nominating petitions.

Finzer ran in 2019 for trustee in Perry in Stark County, finishing last in a three-person race with 10.6% of the vote. A year later, he ran unopposed for a Stark County Democratic central committee seat. He is also a past president of the Stark County Young Democrats.

14TH DISTRICT

Joyce of Bainbridge was the overwhelming winner in the Republican primary for the 14th Congressional District seat getting about 77% of the vote. He beat Elayne Cross of Kent and Kenneth Polke of Saybrook.

“I am honored to receive the continued faith of Northeast Ohio Republicans,” Joyce said. “I could not have won this primary without strong support from my family, campaign staff, volunteers and most importantly the voters of (the district). Thank you for putting your trust in me to continue fighting for you in Washington.”

Joyce was first elected to Congress in 2012 after 24 years as Geauga County prosecutor.

He will face Democrat Brian Bob Kenteres of Mentor in the Nov. 5 general election.

Also, Maria Jukic, a former Euclid city councilwoman, filed as an independent candidate for the 14th Congressional District seat.

Jukic’s nominating petitions need to be certified in order for her to qualify for the Nov. 5 ballot.

The district includes all of Trumbull, Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties and all but two communities in Portage County.

Trumbull is the district’s second most-populous county behind Lake.

“The campaign does not end with this primary victory,” Joyce said. “I will continue to campaign aggressively in all five counties to earn the trust and support of all voters this November.”

The district has a 10% Republican advantage based on voting trends in partisan statewide elections in the past decade. Joyce far exceeded that advantage in 2022 when he beat Democrat Matt Kilboy by 23.5%.

“Northeast Ohio families are facing difficult challenges and they are looking for dependable leadership that can deliver common sense conservative results,” Joyce said.

He added: “I will always continue to put hardworking Ohio families ahead of politics by getting things done that put our communities first.”

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