REPLACING:

Bill Johnson (R)

WORK HISTORY:

U.S. House of Representatives (Member, OH-06); Ohio State Senate (Member, District 33); Leetonia School Board (President); Rulli Bros. Market (Director of Operations) [i]

EDUCATION:

Emerson College [ii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Jobs and Economy; Energy Independence; Public Safety; Small Businesses; Better Schools; Right to Bear Arms; Election Integrity [iii]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Rulli is pro-life and has stated he wants to fight to protect unborn children. He received an endorsement from Ohio Right to Life.[iv] He has shared petitions asking signers to “stop taxpayer funding for abortion.” [v]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Rulli has stated that he is fully committed to comprehensive immigration reform. He believes that “our current system is broken and fails to address the security challenges facing our border” and that undocumented immigrants are depressing American wages. He also blames undocumented immigrants for human and drug trafficking. Rulli supports finishing building a wall at the Southern border, increasing ICE personnel, and “leveraging advanced technology.” [vi]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Rulli has touted his background as a businessman and campaigned on “robust job growth.” Rulli is in favor of reducing “regulatory burdens” and incentivizing investment in the private sector. He believes that there is a need to focus on career readiness programs and trade schools. Rulli also has criticized rising inflation, calling for a need to reduce government spending. [vii]

TAXES:

Rulli made the “No New Taxes” promise. He was commended by the Americans for Tax Reform for signing the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” a written commitment to the voters of Ohio to oppose and vote against income tax hikes. [viii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Rulli has repeatedly praised the police and stated that he will “always stand with the men and women in blue.” [ix]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Rulli has publicly discussed the need to keep energy production in the states of Ohio. [x] He supports the fossil fuel industry, saying in a post on X, “America wasn’t built on solar panels. America was built on coal, oil, and natural gas. We won’t return to prosperity until we unleash our domestic energy industry.” [xi]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Rulli has stated that he supports Israel and the Jewish people. [xii] He said in a post on X, “Until the terrorist Iranian regime is destroyed, Israel will not be safe. We don’t need politicians preaching de-escalation with Islamic terrorists, we need them to deliver justice.” [xiii]  He also has argued that Israel “gave the Palestinian people the opportunity to turn Gaza into a bastion of freedom and economic prosperity” but that the Palestinian people “chose to elect Hamas” and that the “consequences of those decisions are not America’s problem.” [xiv]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Rulli has been critical of the Affordable Care Act, stating in a post on X, “There was nothing patriotic about the Patriot Act. The Affordable Care Act made healthcare less affordable. The Inflation Reduction Act made inflation worse. Never believe anything from Washington D.C.” [xv]

DEMOCRACY:

On July 13, 2024, following the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, Rulli shared a photo from the event with the caption, “They may try to lie, cheat, steal, and kill. But they will never win. Trump, now more than ever.” [xvi]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

Rulli called for legislators to override Governor DeWine’s veto of HB68. [xvii] The bill would have banned gender affirming care for trans youth and trans girls and women from participating in sports. [xviii]