Ohio’s Michael Rulli sworn into U.S. House, adding to GOP majority

The House of Representatives swore Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, into office on Tuesday evening. He’ll serve out the rest of the term left by fellow Republican Bill Johnson, who resigned to become the president of Youngstown State University. Rulli beat Democratic challenger Michael Kirpchak in a race earlier this month, gathering more than 54 percent of the vote. The two are set to face off again in November’s general elections. Rulli adds to the GOP’s slim margin in the chamber. Republicans now occupy 219 seats, giving them a three-seat majority. Three vacancies remain in the House.

Who is Michael Rulli? Before he arrived in Congress, Rulli served in the Ohio state Senate and as president of the Leetonia School Board in eastern Ohio’s Columbiana County. Rulli has been focused on the issues of public safety, children’s education, and election integrity, according to his campaign website.

In campaign advertisements, Rulli pitched himself as a political outsider with similarities to former President Donald Trump, calling himself pro-life, pro-guns, and pro-Trump. However, Trump did not issue an endorsement of Rulli.

Although Ohio’s 6th District remains reliably conservative, Rulli’s election was the slimmest margin of victory for Republicans there since 2012. The GOP has held the seat since Johnson, Rulli’s predecessor, flipped the district in 2010.

What happened to Bill Johnson? Johnson cut his time in Congress short when he resigned from his seat effective Jan. 21, joining a wave of departures from both the House and Senate.

In the House, Johnson’s decision to vacate his seat ahead of the end of his term mirrored decisions made by former U.S. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Ken Buck, R-Colo. One other Republican, Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled by the chamber after a House Ethics Investigation accused him of having lied to donors and abused campaign funds for personal benefit.

Dig deeper: Read my reporting on a tight race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District where two Republicans are vying to represent the party in November.