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Voting trends in the 6th Congressional District show it to be overwhelmingly Republican, but the two Democratic candidates seeking the seat aren't about to throw in the towel.
Democrats Rylan Z. Finzer of Perry Township and Michael L. Kripchak of Youngstown say they expect to have the support needed to pull off an upset and beat whoever wins the Republican nomination in the March 19 primary.
With the Jan. 21 resignation of Republican Bill Johnson from Congress to become president of Youngstown State University, the candidates seeking to succeed him have their names twice on the March 19 primary ballot.
One is to advance to the June 11 special election to fill the rest of Johnson's unexpired term. The other is for the Nov. 5 general election to serve a full two-year term starting in January 2025.
The district has an 18% advantage to Republicans based on voting trends in partisan statewide elections over the past decade and is considered safe for the GOP.
The 6th Congressional District includes all of Mahoning, Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson, Belmont, Harrison, Monroe, Noble and Washington counties and portions of Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
"The numbers are there for us to flip the 6th blue this June as long as we are messaging right," said Finzer, who owns a cannabis apothecary business in Bedford Heights. "We have got to protect and defend women's reproductive rights.
We must protect and defend Social Security and Medicare from GOP attacks, and we have got to bring infrastructure dollars to eastern Ohio. It is something Bill Johnson and the GOP has failed to do for the past 14 years. Sending another GOP representative to Washington is not the way to go."Kripchak, a prep cook and food runner for a Columbiana business, said: "It's all about making Ohio blue again."
But he then said: "Ultimately, it's not about party lines. It's about work.
We shouldn't just focus on the political issues on television all the time and the talking points that come from the party leaders on high, but actually having the solutions and focus."
Neither Democratic candidate has much political experience.
Kripchak sought to run for the congressional seat in 2022, but the Mahoning County Board of Elections refused to certify his candidacy because of problems with his nominating petitions.
Finzer ran in 2019 for trustee in Perry Township in Stark County and finished last in a three-person race with 10.6% of the vote.
A year later, Finzer ran unopposed for a Stark County Democratic Party central committee seat. He was also president of the Stark County Young Democrats.
Finzer then moved out of Stark County and out of the congressional district to Bedford Heights in Cuyahoga County. Congressional candidates don't have to live in the district; they only have to live in the state.
Finzer said he moved back to Perry Township on Friday.
Kripchak and Finzer said they'll need at least $1 million to compete in the general election.
Kripchak said he's raised about $1,000 so far with $700 coming from him. Finzer filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission showing he raised $5,178 with $500 from him as of Feb. 28.
Both said raising money for the primary has been difficult, but they are hopeful they can raise the money needed for the general election.
Kripchak said his top priorities are to create high-paying, high-skilled jobs in the district, rejuvenate the nation's public education system and fix the failures of the federal farm bill.
Kripchak said he wants to create an advanced materials manufacturing hub in the district that "will spawn many innovative, high-tech manufacturing businesses."
Improving public education, Kripchak said, would include adopting the "whole person concept," which includes teaching S.T.E.M., social studies, history and practical life skills as well as getting students involved with community organizations and doing volunteer work.
Regarding the farm bill, Kripchak proposes having the U.S. Department of Agriculture invest in "scientific innovations of sustainable farm practices with specific focus on fertilizer use," and an effort to publicly fund seeds "so farms will not have to worry about" reseeding restrictions.
Finzer's top priorities are protecting and defending Social Security and Medicare benefits, bringing high-paying jobs to the district and banning charter schools from receiving public funds. While the charter schools issue is primarily a state issue, Finzer said he would introduce a bill to crack down on the federal oversight of running them.
Finzer said Republicans are "attacking Social Security and Medicare benefits" and he would work to protect both in Congress.
He proposes leveraging "Ohio's access to abundant water resources and access to infrastructure to draw in manufacturing and heavy industry back to our area." Finzer also wants to attract "new energy sector jobs that will help to upgrade our electric grid and capture carbon."