House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, had a little wiggle room Tuesday night when Republican Michael Rulli won the special election to replace retiring Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio.
Rulli is an Ohio state senator and small business owner who bills himself as a “natural gas big man,” according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
His family founded and runs Youngstown-based grocery stores called Rulli Brothers Market, according to his campaign website. He also served as president of the Leetonia School Board in northern Ohio.
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Ohio state Sen. Michael Rulli, left, faced off against Air Force veteran Michael Kripchak, right, in the special election for Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. (Getty Images/@KripchakOH via X)
Rulli’s website also lists “priorities for Ohio families,” including “energy independence,” “gun rights” and “election integrity,” among other issues.
The local Ohio official was the favorite to win the Buckeye State’s deep red 6th Congressional District, which former President Trump won by more than 40 points in 2020.
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Rulli’s victory gives President Mike Johnson a little more wiggle room in his narrow majority. (Getty Images)
His victory and eventual swearing-in will bring the total number of Republicans in the House of Representatives to 219. It means GOP leaders can afford to lose three votes on any party measure, marginally better than the two-seat majority they have won for. been browsing. for weeks.
Once sworn in, Rulli will serve the remainder of former Rep. Johnson’s term through November.
Johnson announced in November 2023 that he would leave the House to become president of Youngstown State University.
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Former Rep. Bill Johnson vacated the seat to be president of Youngstown State University. (Getty)
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“After much reflection and prayerful deliberation, I accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University and will not seek an eighth term in Congress,” Johnson wrote in X. “As I said previously, I was not looking for another job, because I love “The one I have serving the people of eastern Ohio in the United States House of Representatives was an extremely difficult decision.”
He left in late January of this year, just weeks after the departure of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
