Republican Bill Johnson to step down as congressman Jan. 21, begin Youngstown State job

U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson will step down Jan. 21 as congressman and begin his new job as president of Youngstown State University the next day.

Johnson, R-Marietta, submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, no relation, and Gov. Mike DeWine.

Sign up for The Scoop newsletter: Your source for Ohio politics and 2024 election news

Johnson's spokesman Benjamin Keeler did not say why Johnson chose Jan. 21 to step down. In November, Johnson announced he would resign by March 31 to be president of Youngstown State.

He has been the 6th District's congressman since 2011. In January, Johnson began representing eastern and southern Stark County due to changes in district boundaries by the state the prior year.

Related: Congressman Bill Johnson to leave Congress to become president of Youngstown State

Republicans now hold 220 seats in Congress. The Democrats have 213. The U.S. House has two vacancies. Johnson's resignation reduces the number of Republicans in the House to 219, so 217 votes are required to pass bills with all congressmen present.

By state law, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will call a special election to select a new congressional member to represent the 6th District for the rest of Johnson's term until the start of 2025. It's up to DeWine to decide the day of the special election.

Three Republicans and two Democrats filed by the Dec. 20 deadline for the March 19 primary ballot to run for the two-year term starting in January 2025.

The Republican candidates are state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus, R-Paris Township; state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem; and Rick Tsai, a Republican chiropractor in East Palestine. The Democratic candidates are Rylan Finzer of Bedford Heights and former Perry Township resident, who owns a business in the medical marijuana industry; and Michael Kripchak of Youngstown, who filed to run as a congressional candidate in 2020. But Kripchak had a petition issue and failed to make it onto the ballot.

Related: Stark County Republican legislator Reggie Stoltzfus to run for Congress to replace Johnson

The 6th District covers portions of Stark and Tuscarawas counties, and all of Mahoning, Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Harrison, Belmont, Monroe, Noble and Washington counties.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Bill Johnson to step down as congressman Jan. 21