Stark County's Reggie Stoltzfus runs as candidate of principle for Congress
PLAIN TWP. ‒ In his first public speech as a congressional candidate Tuesday, state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus depicted himself as a principled man who stood up against the Larry Householder political machine.
And without saying his primary opponent's name, the Paris Township resident criticized state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, for joint sponsoring legislation in 2021 that Stolzfus claimed would allow men into women's restrooms and locker rooms.
Those were among the messages Stoltzfus, owner of Dutchcraft Truss, tested in his minutes-long remarks to about 40 Republicans at his campaign kickoff event at Stark County Republican Party headquarters on Fulton Road NW.
The last elected Republican official from Stark County to run for Congress was then-state Rep. Christina Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, in 2018. She ran again in 2020 after her term as state representative ended. State Sen. Kirk Schuring, R-Jackson Township, unsuccessfully sought to succeed longtime Republican congressman Ralph Regula in 2008.
"I've worked to lower taxes. Cut red tape. Protect the unborn. Protect your Second Amendment and expand your Second Amendment rights," Stoltzfus said. "I've also worked hard to protect your children from the woke left ideologies that's coming at them, right? I've worked and run legislation to protect your daughters from having men in their bathrooms and their locker rooms and their sports teams."
Related: Stark County Republican legislator Reggie Stoltzfus to run for Congress to replace Johnson
Who is Reggie Stoltzfus?
"It has been a long time since we've had our own Stark County congressman," county Republican Party Chair Janet Weir Creighton said, referring to longtime Congressman Regula. "We were disappointed when they split up our county (into different congressional districts). We don't like that. But it is split up. But we'll take the 10 others (counties). We'll bring them along with us to Stark County. But I want to be able to stand before the public and say, 'Our congressman is from Stark County, Ohio!' Because we are Stark County proud! And Reggie's the guy who can do it."
Stoltzfus is seeking to succeed Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, to represent the 6th Congressional District. Johnson is expected to step down by March 31 to become president of Youngstown State University.
Related: Ohio's Bill Johnson to leave Congress to become president of Youngstown State
Speaking with his wife and three children in attendance, Stoltzfus began with an origin story of why he decided to seek elected office. He said then-President Barack Obama's push to pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010 infuriated him.
"Quite frankly, I got tired of yelling at my TV," he said.
After volunteering for some Republican campaigns, Stoltzfus was elected Paris Township trustee in 2015. But when then-state Rep. Christina Hagan opted to run for Congress and not seek reelection in 2018, Stoltzfus sought to succeed her.
Stoltzfus faced off in a primary contest against Hagan's brother, Josh Hagan. The primary was a proxy battle between then-state Rep. Larry Householder and then-House Speaker Ryan Smith to be the next speaker of the House. Stoltzfus expressed distaste with how Householder had tried to win his support with charm and pressure.
Stoltzfus campaigned with Smith. In the end, all of the candidates backed by Householder won their primaries except Josh Hagan. And Householder in 2019 was elected speaker with the help of Democrats.
Stoltzfus, who represents the 50th Ohio House District, described how Householder called him into his office in 2019 and sought to pressure him to vote for House Bill 6, which would provide a rate-payer-funded bailout of two private nuclear power plants. Stoltzfus said he "stood up to Larry," and voted against House Bill 6 because he opposed government subsidies for a private company.
Today, Householder is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for accepting bribes from FirstEnergy executives to help pass House Bill 6, which Rulli also voted against.
"It's important you know who I am," said Stoltzfus. "That I can stand up to the pressure. I can do it. Republicans need to start acting like Republicans again. The party as a whole. We're quick to spend money. And lots of money. And we have forgotten who we are at our core. We need someone with a backbone in Congress. To stop spending money. To stop raising that national debt. And friends, that person is me."
Salvo at opponent Michael Rulli
Stoltzfus said about Rulli, "there is one person in this race against me who has proposed legislation ... (that would) put men in women's restrooms and locker rooms. And folks, I can't stand the thought of someone like that representing me or the good God-fearing conservative folks of the 6th District in Washington."
Stoltzfus' campaign pointed to Rulli in 2021 joint sponsoring Senate Bill 119 with Democratic Sen. Nickie Antonio that would have expanded the state's definition of discrimination on the basis of sex to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and "gender identity or expression."
Rulli's campaign in a statement said, "It’s unfortunate that Rep. Stoltzfus has to lower himself to these baseless attacks. Sen. Michael Rulli has been a proven conservative leader in Ohio. As a state senator, Rulli has cosponsored legislation to enact 'constitutional carry,' keep biological males out of women’s sports, and urge a continued investment in natural gas infrastructure."
The statement apparently referred to this year's House Bill 68, supported by both Stoltzfus and Rulli that bans gender reassignment surgery for minors and prohibits schools from allowing male athletes to compete in female athletics.
Stoltzfus declined after his speech to take questions about why he had jumped into the race against the battle-tested Rulli. Mahoning County, where Rulli resides, has the largest population in the 6th District's 11-county area, giving Rulli a potential advantage.
The 6th Congressional District includes Belmont County, Carroll County, Columbiana County, Harrison County, Jefferson County, Mahoning County, Monroe County, Noble County and Washington County as well as portions of Stark County and Tuscarawas counties.
Stoltzfus' campaign manager Kenny Street said Stoltzfus would reveal more details later about what spurred him to seek the congressional seat.
Stoltzfus filed paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission establishing his campaign organization "Reggie for Congress."
Rulli, who represents Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties, filed his paperwork with the FEC on Nov. 29 and officially announced his campaign a week before Stoltzfus. Another Republican, Kurt Hildebrand, of Poland, Ohio also has filed with the FEC establishing his campaign organization in the 6th District primary.
The filing deadline to enter the congressional race as a partisan candidate was 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP.
Correction: Then-state Rep. Christina Hagan, R-Marlboro Township, in 2018 was the last elected Republican official from Stark County who was a congressional candidate. A prior version of this article incorrectly identified the last elected Republican official from Stark County, before this year, who ran for Congress. The filing deadline to file in Ohio as a partisan candidate for Congress is 4 p.m. Wednesday. A prior version of this article gave the wrong day.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Reggie Stoltzfus announces run for Ohio's 6th congressional district
