Michael Rulli

Michael Anthony Rulli (born March 11, 1969) is an American politician, musician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district since 2024. He previously served as an Ohio State Senator for the 33rd district from 2019 until June 12, 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Rulli is the director of operations at Rulli Bros. Markets, a family-owned chain of grocery stores based in the Mahoning Valley region.

Early life

Born on March 11, 1969, Rulli is a graduate of Poland Seminary High School and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps. He went on to earn bachelor's degrees in communications and speech from Emerson College in 1991. While studying in Boston, Rulli also interned for Joseph P. Kennedy II and played in the grunge band Red Bliss. After graduation, he joined his family's business, Rulli Bros. Markets. Initially a Democrat, he later joined the Republican Party.

Career

Rulli was first elected to the Ohio Senate in 2018, defeating incumbent Ohio House of Representatives member and former U.S. representative John Boccieri. Prior to that contest, Rulli's only other political experience was as a School Board member for the Leetonia Exempted Village School District in Columbiana County, Ohio. Rulli was re-elected in 2022, defeating former Ohio House and Ohio Senate member Bob Hagan.

Ohio Senate

In 2019, Rulli was one of 12 Senators to vote against HB 6, the legislation at the center of one of the nation's largest corruption scandals.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rulli championed legislation to prevent municipalities from banning the use of plastic grocery bags. The House version of Rulli's legislation, HB 242 was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine in October 2020.

In January 2024, Rulli voted to override Governor DeWine's veto of HB 68, a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors and prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports.

U.S. House of Representatives

Rulli became the Republican nominee on March 19, 2024 for the 2024 special election for Ohio's 6th congressional district, and defeated Democrat Michael Kripchak on June 11. On June 12 Rulli announced his resignation from the Ohio Senate. Rulli was sworn in to the 118th U.S. Congress on June 25, 2024.

Then-state representative Al Cutrona was sworn in to Rulli's former Senate seat on June 26.

On November 5, 2024, Rulli won re-election with about 66% of the vote, running again against Michael Kripchak.

Rulli currently serves as the Co-Chair of the bi-cameral and bi-partisan Italian American Congressional Delegation (IACD).

Committee assignments

*Committee on Education and Workforce
**Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
**Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
*Committee on Energy and Commerce
**Subcommittee on Energy
**Subcommittee on Health
**Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations

Caucus memberships

* Republican Governance Group

Hiring of Mike Peppel

In January 2025, Rulli hired Mike Peppel as his communications director. Peppel had previously served as Rulli's senior legislative aide from January 2019 to March 2023. Prior to working for Rulli, Peppel worked for former Republican Congressman Bill Johnson, serving as political director for Johnson's campaign and as his office's community outreach representative.

In 2023, Peppel founded the Ohio Clean Water Fund (OCWF), which was the subject of a seven-count civil lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The lawsuit alleged that OCWF was a "sham charity" that falsely claimed to be raising money for those impacted by the East Palestine train derailment, misrepresenting its use of funds. While Peppel disputed the allegations, he ultimately settled the lawsuit. The settlement resolved all claims against Peppel, avoiding protracted litigation.

Rulli, in a prepared statement, affirmed his support for Peppel, citing his experience and dedication to the region.

Abortion legislation

In 2019, Rulli co-sponsored Ohio Senate Bill 23, widely referred to as the "Heartbeat Bill." This legislation bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, typically around six weeks into pregnancy—often before many people are aware they are pregnant. The bill provides no exceptions for rape or incest. Governor Mike DeWine signed it into law on April 11, 2019.

Rulli’s support for the bill aligned with a broader movement among Ohio Republicans to impose stricter abortion regulations. SB 23 became one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country and faced swift legal challenges.

A temporary court order blocked the law’s enforcement in September 2022, restoring abortion access in the state up to 22 weeks while the legislation underwent further judicial review.

Personal life

Rulli resides in Salem, Ohio, with his wife Kelly and their two children.

On November 28, 2022, Rulli fired a handgun at two teenagers he believed were trespassing on his property. Later, his wife, Kelly Rulli, fired shots at one of the teenagers and his family members who had returned to retrieve hunting equipment. While Rulli claims he fired warning shots into the ground from a distance of approximately 15 yards, the teenager maintains he was much farther away on his uncle's land and that the shots were fired directly at him. A special prosecutor's investigation, which found no physical evidence (such as shell casings or bullets), concluded that the Rullis' actions were reasonable under the circumstances and declined to press charges against either party, though it did determine the teenagers were trespassing. The incident remains disputed, with conflicting accounts of the events.

References

External links

Congressman Michael Rulli
official U.S. House website

Michael Rulli for Congress
campaign website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rulli, Michael
1969 births
Living people
American people of Italian descent
Emerson College alumni
People from Poland, Ohio
People from Salem, Ohio
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
Republican Party Ohio state senators
21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly
School board members in Ohio
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives