YOUNGSTOWN — John Boccieri, a former congressman and state legislator, said he is going to run for the open Ohio House 58th District seat, joining three other Democrats planning to seek the position.

Boccieri, of Poland, said the events in Minneapolis on Saturday in which federal immigration agents killed Alex Pretti, 17 days after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, another U.S. citizen, led him to the decision.

“What I can do is serve, and in this capacity is the best place for me,” Boccieri said. “I saw an unhinged display of aggression and power that’s not characteristic of our nation. It’s disappointing to me — as I’ve flown in combat and put my life on the line — to see that display. It changed me.”

Boccieri had considered running for the state House seat before, but chose not to seek it.

The Pretti shooting, he said, changed that for him.

“People being executed on a street in the United States is not what we are about,” he said. “It’s in my nature to give back to a community that’s been so good and generous to me.”

Boccieri joins at least three other declared Democratic candidates in an Ohio House district drawn by state Republicans to heavily favor Democrats. By making the 58th District favor Democrats by more than 21% based on partisan statewide voting results between 2014 and 2022, it made the other House district in Mahoning County more Republican.

The Democrats already running for the 58th House seat are Basia Adamczak, a former Youngstown City Council 7th-Ward member; Brandon J. Kovach of Youngstown, a business owner and entrepreneur; and Jordan Pegues, a project specialist for Wesco International.

The district includes Youngstown, Austintown, Poland, Lowellville, Jackson, Milton, Craig Beach and Coitsville.

Democrat Lauren McNally of Youngstown is serving her second term representing the district. But with Mahoning County Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti, a Democrat, not running this year for reelection, McNally is seeking to succeed her. That leaves the state representative seat without an incumbent in the November general election.

Boccieri was first elected to the Ohio House in 2000, serving three terms until he was elected in 2006 to the state Senate. Boccieri won a Stark County-based U.S. House seat in 2008 and lost reelection in 2010. Boccieri was appointed in September 2015 to a vacant Ohio House position, won election in 2016 and lost to Republican Michael Rulli in 2018 for a state Senate seat.

Boccieri is a United Airlines pilot and has spent the past 32 years as a member of the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, currently working for the Pentagon.

“I know there are other people interested in the seat, and we’ll have a spirited debate,” Boccieri said.

He said he was approached by state Democrats and state labor leaders to consider being on the Democratic statewide ticket, but he declined.

“Running in 88 counties isn’t something I can do right now,” he said.

Kovach, who founded Insurance Agent Resources, said, “I’m not entirely concerned about who gets into the race. I want to talk about my platform. I want people to look at all the candidates’ history before deciding who to vote for.”

Kovach posted on Facebook: “The machine wants to tell you who to vote for instead of letting you see who all your options are. We knew from the beginning we would be underdogs, but we really didn’t know how bad it would get. You deserve the best candidate and representation. That’s why I am calling on you to reach out to organizations you know and every candidate in the 58th and demand a debate.”

Mahoning Democratic Chairman Chris Anderson said the party will endorse in the state representative race. Within seven days of the Feb. 4 filing deadline, the party secretary and the screening committee will be notified of any contested primaries.

Those wanting the party’s endorsement will go through an extensive background check and be interviewed by the screening committee, which will make a recommendation to the central committee, Anderson said.

An endorsement meeting would be scheduled.

The candidate endorsed for the Ohio House seat by the county party will automatically receive the Ohio House Democratic Caucus endorsement, Anderson said.

The party won’t endorse in congressional primaries, Anderson said, because it doesn’t have a federal political action committee and the seat for the 6th Congressional District was drawn to heavily favor Republicans.