With Al Cutrona moving to the state Senate next week, five Republican candidates have already stepped forward seeking to replace him in the Ohio House.

Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Tom McCabe said those wanting to be considered to be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot as Cutrona’s replacement — and be appointed to fill his unexpired term through the end of this year — need to submit letters of interest by June 27.

The letters can be sent by email to hq@mahoning

gop.com or dropped off at party headquarters, 8381 Market St. in Boardman.

The five who have already applied, McCabe said, are:

•   Jim Murphy of Boardman, a precinct committee member who lost the 2016 Republican primary for a state House seat.

•   Meghan Hanni of Canfield Township, a precinct committee member and daughter of 7th District Court of Appeals Judge Mark A. Hanni. She is Aim Leasing Co.’s supervisor of licensing and permits.

•  Christine Oliver, Canfield City Council president. She’s won two council races and lost one. She also lost the 2016 Mahoning County treasurer’s race. Oliver is managing director at Sentinel Financial Solutions / National Life Group.

•   Joey Cilone of Canfield city, a Republican volunteer and donor. He is co-owner and president of Inspira Health Group.

•  Tex Fischer of Boardman, the party’s first vice chairman and a precinct committee member. Fischer ran in 2023 as a write-in candidate for a seat on the Boardman school board, but didn’t campaign as he filed in case no one else did. He lost that race. Fischer is co-founder and partner of H&F Strategies LLC, a political consulting firm.

Cutrona, R-Canfield, was selected June 13 in a 4-2 vote of Republican party chairs and secretaries in the 33rd District as the next state senator, replacing Michael Rulli, R-Salem, who resigned the day before. Rulli was elected June 11 to the vacant 6th Congressional District position.

Rulli said he will be sworn in June 25 as a U.S. House member.

Cutrona will be sworn in June 26 to succeed Rulli. The Ohio Senate Republican Caucus agreed to appoint whoever was chosen by the district’s Republican chairs and secretaries. Cutrona will resign prior to joining the state Senate.

McCabe said he’s waiting to hear back from the Republican caucus, which will appoint someone to fill the rest of Cutrona’s term for this year. McCabe said he expects the caucus will appoint whoever the Mahoning and Columbiana Republican Party chairmen and secretaries select for the ballot to also serve the unexpired term.

“We’ll coordinate with the House caucus so it’s the same person in office and on the ballot,” McCabe said.

The June 27 deadline to submit letters of interest will be followed by a meeting of Republican central committee members from the 59th Ohio House District, McCabe said. While a date for the meeting hasn’t been finalized, he expects it to be July 1 or 2.

The appointment to the Nov. 5 ballot will be made shortly after that meeting by a committee of party executive committee members, donors and volunteers, McCabe said.

McCabe will also ask Columbiana County Republican Party Chairman Dave Johnson to participate, as well as central committee members from the two townships in that county that will be in the 59th District.

Cutrona represents the 58th District, which is keeping much of its current population though it will become the 59th District with the 2024 election because of redistricting.

The new district will continue to represent Boardman, Canfield, Berlin, Struthers and Campbell. Beginning in January, it will add Beloit, Coitsville, Ellsworth, Sebring, New Middletown, North Lima, Smith, Goshen, Green, Beaver, Springfield and Washingtonville along with Knox and Butler townships in Columbiana County.

Because of the addition of those two Columbiana County townships, that county’s Republican chairman and secretary get an equal vote on who will replace Cutrona on the ballot.

Whoever the Republicans appoint will face Democrat Laura Schaeffer, a Beloit councilwoman and Integrated library systems administrator for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, in the election.

The House district Cutrona represents is considered a Republican-Democratic toss-up based on partisan statewide voting results during the past decade. Because of redistricting, it now favors Republicans by more than 12% based on those same voting results.

Have an interesting story? Contact David Skolnick by email at dskolnick@vindy.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @dskolnick.