Republican Michael Rulli has won the special election for Ohio's 6th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Michael Kripchak to finish Bill Johnson’s term. The race, which was much closer than expected, saw Rulli winning by a narrow margin of 4.4 points with 65% of the vote counted. This district, which former President Trump won by 63 points in 2020 and is a Trump +30 district, was expected to be a stronghold for the GOP. However, the results indicate a significant shift, as Rulli only managed to secure a 28-point lead in Noble County, a county Trump had won by a large margin. The low voter turnout in the district, with Rulli receiving just 12% of Trump's 2020 vote total in Harrison County, and Kripchak getting 22% of Biden's 2020 vote total, further highlights the unexpected competitiveness of the race. Bill Johnson had previously won this seat by 35 points in 2022. Rulli's victory will help the GOP expand its narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Michael Rulli's win in Ohio will grow GOP's razor-thin majority in U.S. House https://t.co/Ys9Z3ksYFe
what's wild about this OH-6 result, too, is that Kripchak (D) appears to have vastly overperformed despite barely leading in Mahoning (Youngstown) -- just 51-49 w/ 84% estimated reporting. That's not a surprising margin in the post-Trump era but would've been horrible pre-Trump
Republican Michael Rulli will win the special election for Ohio's 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, helping his party expand its narrow House majority https://t.co/OhfVZTNnAr
Republican Michael Rulli will win the special election for Ohio's 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, helping his party expand its narrow House majority https://t.co/ntgbECgO6V
GOP’s Michael Rulli wins Ohio special election to fill former Rep. Bill Johnson’s seat https://t.co/GU6eSh1uxK
The Ohio 6th CD special election results should be a major alarm bell for the entire GOP. Bill Johnson won this seat by 35 points in 2022. It’s a Trump +30 district. The Republican will win, but it is a 4.4 point race with 65% of the vote in. That’s insanely bad. https://t.co/y7A6dTCqDE
#BREAKING Michael Rulli wins Ohio special election to finish Bill Johnson’s term https://t.co/WWuTDSbpmc
REPUBLICAN RULLI VICTORIOUS IN OHIO HOUSE SPECIAL ELECTION
I've seen enough: Michael Rulli (R) wins the #OH06 special election, defeating Michael Kripchak (D). But it'll be a much closer margin than either party expected.
Ohio 6th Election Results with 36% in: Kripchak (D): 51.1% Rulli (R): 48.9% https://t.co/BsKahiOPoH
How bad is turnout in the #OH06 special? Harrison Co. (Trump +53) is showing fully reported... Michael Rulli (R) is getting *12%* of Trump's '20 vote total. Air Force vet Michael Kripchak (D) is getting 22% of Biden's '20 vote total. Hence, Rulli just +28.
Noble Co. is now fully reporting, and Rulli (R) only wins it by 28 pts over Kripchak (D). This is a county Trump won by 63 pts in 2020. As a whole, #OH06 is Trump +29. I'm starting to think #OH06 (a special neither party paid attention to) is going to end up quite close.