(This story will be updated as election results are tallied on May 5.)
Boards of election in 10 counties have released preliminary vote counts for the 6th District race for party nominees for congressman.
Whether Elizabeth Kirtley, a freelance writer in New Philadelphia, becomes the Democratic nominee could depends on the results of the remaining Stark County votes to be tallied.
As of 9:36 p.m., Kirtley led with nearly 29% of the vote over the nearly 24% of the vote garnered by Adrian Vitus of Poland Township in Mahoning County. Kirtley’s lead was at more than 1,500 votes.
One big reason for Kirtley’s success: the Kent State University graduate is dominating the vote in Stark County. She has nearly 43% of votes cast in the primary in Stark County with about 18% of Stark County’s precincts reporting. That’s even better than the nearly 39% of the vote Kirtley has in her home Tuscarawas County. Kirtley noted in an interview weeks ago that much of the district has never been represented by a woman in Congress.
Vitus, a former aid and development consultant who lived for years overseas, has a solid lead in only one county, his home of Mahoning County where he leads with nearly 30% of Mahoning County votes. Tattoo artist Sean Connolly of Canfield is second in Mahoning County at nearly 23% and Kirtley is third in the county at over 21%.
Not surprisingly, U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Salem Township, the better-funded incumbent, was leading his primary challenger Carroll County church pastor Jullie Kelley, winning more than 78% of the GOP primary vote.
In the Democratic primary, following Vitus, Connolly is third at nearly 21% overall. The other four other candidates whose names are on the ballot had less than 11%.
Kirtley, the only female candidate of the six on the ballot in the primary, was a public employee union official when she worked for Tuscarawas County Department of Job and Family Services.
Voters in the Republican and Democratic primaries in much of Stark County, six entire counties and parts of three other counties weighed in on whom they wanted to be their party nominees in November for congressman for the 6th Congressional District.
In the Republican primary, Kelley, a church pastor from Monroe Township in Carroll County, was challenging incumbent Congressman Rulli, who lives in Columbiana County. She has criticized him for missing too many votes and not making himself accessible enough at Town Halls.
Rulli has basked in the endorsement of President Donald Trump. He said he missed more votes than usual in 2025 because he was caring for his father who later died. He’s touted legislation he’s introduced to create a coal advisory council and improve railway safety.
Besides Kirtley, Vitus and Connolly, the Democratic primary to decide who faces Rulli or Kelley if she pulls off the upset features three other candiates on the ballot.
They are Charles DiPalma of Steubenville in Jefferson County, who ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 2020 and 2022; Brent Hanni, of Youngstown in Mahoning County and the fiscal officer for the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts and Malcolm Ritchie of Dover Township in Tuscarawas County, who’s a retired train engineer and former U.S. Army Reserve officer.
Christopher LaFont of Bethesda in Belmont County, a movie theater manager, is a write-in candidate in the Democratic 6th District primary.
In Stark County, the 6th District includes Massillon, Alliance, Louisville, Canal Fulton, Lawrence Township, Tuscarawas Township, Sugar Creek Township, Perry Township, Bethlehem Township, Pike Township, Sandy Township, Osnaburg Township, Nimishillen Township, Paris Township, Washington Township, Lexington Township, Hartville and much of Lake Township.
The part of Stark County in the adjoining 13th District is Canton, Canton Township, Plain Township, North Canton, Jackson Township and part of Lake Township.
Outside Stark County, the 6th District includes southern Wayne County, eastern Holmes County, southern and eastern Mahoning County, Columbiana County, Carroll County, Tuscarawas County, Harrison County, Jefferson County and Belmont County.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kirtley of New Philadelphia, Rulli lead in 6th District races
Reporting by Robert Wang, Canton Repository / The Repository
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