Michael Rulli is seeking another two-year term in Ohio's 6th District against Democrat Elizabeth Kirtley. The contest comes as redistricting takes effect and reshapes the seat to include most of Mahoning and Stark counties and all of Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, Harrison and Tuscarawas counties, plus parts of Wayne and Holmes counties.
Rulli first won the seat in the special June 2024 election after Republican Bill Johnson resigned early to become Youngstown State University president. He then won the November 2024 election for a full term and is now asking voters to keep him in the U.S. House.
Ohio's 6th District map
The district's new lines stretch across much of eastern Ohio, tying together Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley with Salem, New Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Based on statewide partisan voting results over the past decade, the district favors Republicans 63.9% to 36.1% for Democrats. The district's new boundaries are part of the backdrop for a race that will decide who represents that broader map in the U.S. House.
That map makes the race different from a narrow local contest. Voters in Mahoning and Stark counties will join residents in Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, Harrison and Tuscarawas counties, along with portions of Wayne and Holmes counties, in choosing between an incumbent who already has a year of House experience and a challenger who won her first primary only months ago.
Michael Rulli's record
Rulli said his biggest accomplishment during his time in Congress is getting appointed to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He said, "I am a member of the most powerful committee on Earth" and added, "We are the purse strings." He also said the House passed two of his bills, while three other bills were voted out of committee but never received consideration by the full House.
One of his bills would prohibit public schools from accepting funds or entering into contracts with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party or individuals or entities tied to either. Another would codify into law President Donald Trump's executive order to reestablish the National Coal Council to provide advice on the industry. Rulli said he has introduced bills tied to Youngstown, manufacturing and union jobs, and he said, "I've introduced bills to do with Youngstown and bringing manufacturing here and creating union jobs because I'm the No. 1 creator of union jobs."
Elizabeth Kirtley in Ohio
Kirtley, a freelance writer from New Philadelphia, had never run for elected office before winning the Democratic primary in May. She said she was "in awe and shock" when told by a reporter she had won. The first-time candidate is trying to turn that surprise primary victory into a general-election upset in a district that leans Republican.
She has made Rulli's record part of her challenge. Kirtley said, "He's not doing a good job for us whatsoever. He is more concerned about pleasing the president than actually pleasing his constituents." On immigration, she said she wanted to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and later clarified, "It needs to be restructured."
Mahoning and Stark voters
The race now turns on whether voters in the redrawn district prefer Rulli's record in Washington or Kirtley's first-time candidacy. The seat spans communities that will be voting together under the new map for the first time in this cycle, and the outcome will decide who carries the district's priorities into the U.S. House. The contest can also be read in the same way readers compare roster changes elsewhere, including a goalkeeper move in Manchester City or another Manchester City transfer update, where one personnel decision can reshape the next step.
