Three Republicans — including two current officeholders — are running for the 6th Congressional District seat that has been vacant since the Jan. 21 resignation of Bill Johnson.

Seeking to succeed Johnson, also a Republican, in the March 19 GOP primary are: state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem, state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus of Paris Township and Rick Tsai of East Palestine.

Because of Johnson’s resignation, the candidates’ names will appear twice on the ballot — once to move to the June 11 special election to fill the remainder of the former congressman’s term and the other to advance to the Nov. 5 general election for the full two-year term that starts in January 2025.

Two Democrats are on that party’s primary ballot.

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.

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.

The three Republicans said if Johnson had not resigned to become president of Youngstown State University, they wouldn’t have challenged him in the election. But with his departure, they saw an opportunity.

This is the first time since 2006 that the 6th Congressional District seat will have an election without an incumbent.

Rulli’s state Senate district includes Mahoning — the congressional district’s most-populous county — and Columbiana — where he resides and is the congressional district’s third most-populous county — as well as Carroll. 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.

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

Rulli said he is the “most qualified” candidate for the job based on his years and accomplishments in the state Legislature as well as eight years on the Leetonia school board and 33 years running his family’s Rulli Brothers Markets.

“As far as the other people throwing their hats in the ring, it doesn’t feel like they’re qualified to take the position,” he said. “I have a handful of bills signed by the governor over the last five or six years and the gentlemen I’m running against have none of that. I think the experience and the ability to get projects done is the main point of focus of my campaign. My competitors have no idea how to take a project and get it to the finish line.”

Rulli took particular aim at Stoltzfus, saying: “Consider the contrast between my opponent and myself. He is a lot more extreme and a lot less worried about getting work done.”

Stoltzfus said the congressional district “was represented by a conservative congressman (Johnson) and I felt like there was not one in the race, and that’s why I threw my hat in the race.”

Stoltzfus, who is serving his second two-year term in the Ohio House, spent two years prior as a Paris Township trustee and has been president of his own roof truss company since 2005.

Asked about Rulli’s criticism, Stoltzfus said: “I have accomplished things. I’m not going to talk negatively about my opponent. I’m just not. But I think I’m qualified. I have problem-solving skills. Ultimately, this job in Congress is — it’s problem-solving, it’s networking, it’s forming relationships. To say that I’m not experienced, that’s just stupidity. I’ve got plenty of experience running this business. I’ve got a lot of real-world experience, a lot of street experience that a lot of folks don’t have.”

Tsai said the horrific train derailment in his hometown of East Palestine and the lack of assistance from the federal government motivated him to run for Congress.

“People were very excited to see a nonpolitician running,” he said. “I built a big business. I know how to communicate. I know how to work with people and I know how to get things done.”

Tsai added: “People can twist this, but I feel the need to run. Honestly, people in the media can take this wrong, but it’s not that I need to run. What I’ve seen in East Palestine, the corruption (with the derailment and its aftermath) is a microcosm of what is going on in our counties, our towns. They’re inhibiting prosperity. I believe I can fix this.”

PRIORITIES

All three Republicans said securing the nation’s southern border with Mexico is a top priority.

“The number of illegal immigrants streaming across the southern border is out of control and threatening our national security,” Stoltzfus said. “I’ll be a strong supporter of building the wall to completion to stop the flow of drugs that are devastating our local communities. I’ll push for funding to help border states protect their citizens by enforcing strict border policies. I’ll designate the cartels who are pushing these dangerous drugs and trafficking thousands of women and children as terrorists so we can use the full force of our military to combat them and snuff them out.”

Rulli said the current immigration policy is “inadequate and fails to address the security challenges facing our border. Illegal immigration not only depresses wages for American workers but also facilitates human trafficking and the trafficking of deadly drugs like fentanyl. The current administration’s policies are obstructing measures aimed at curbing the influx of illegal immigrants along our southern border.”

Rulli said he wants border security enhancements prioritized, an agreement with Mexico to secure the border to keep illegal immigrants from coming to the United States and “military action against drug cartels to literally take them out.”

Tsai said he wants to close the southern border and finish the border wall because drugs, illegal immigrants and terrorists are streaming in as well as causing an increase in human trafficking.

Tsai added: “The millions of illegals in the country are burdening the schools and health care system. Many are working illegally and claiming independent contractor status.” That, he said, is leading to “tax fraud” with local governments “losing tax revenue.”

The three also list job growth as a top priority.

Rulli said he is “staunchly in favor of reducing regulatory burdens, incentivizing investment in key sectors and cultivating a competitive marketplace that empowers entrepreneurs to generate employment opportunities and drive prosperity.”

The area was once known for its “quality manufacturing and high living standards,” he said. “I am committed to restoring this legacy and have tirelessly championed policies conducive to its revival.”

Stoltzfus said spending by the federal government has put “our country into a hole we can never climb out of and it’s time to stop that reckless behavior.”

Stoltzfus supports a balanced budget amendment and would “promote free market principles so that American ingenuity can be unleashed. And I’ll fight to lower taxes on individuals so that everyone can keep more of their money in their pockets and decide if and how they invest it back into the American economy.”

Stoltzfus wants to promote energy independence through oil and natural gas production in Ohio.

Tsai said the congressional district has more than “400 years of natural gas under its feet” and “we must get this gas out of the ground.”

He added: “We’ve got to get energy independent to get the cost of everything down.”

6th Congressional district

Republican primary candidates

Michael Rulli

Age: 54

Occupation: State senator and director of operations for Rulli Brothers Markets

Previous elected experience: Serving his second four-year term in the Ohio Senate, spent eight years on the Leetonia school board

Goals: Comprehensive immigration reform, fostering robust job growth and addressing inflation and ensuring economic stability

Reggie Stoltzfus

Age: 43

Occupation: Ohio House representative and president of Dutchcraft Truss & Component Inc.

Previous elected experience: Serving his second two-year term in the Ohio House, spent two years as a Paris Township trustee

Goals: Secure our southern border, get the economy booming again and promote oil and gas production

Rick Tsai

Age: 59

Occupation: Owner of Blackhawk Chiropractic

Previous elected experience: None

Goals: Grow the economy, close the southern border and finish the border wall, and disaster prevention and relief