WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, was sworn in as a U.S. Congressman Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Rulli won a special election in June for Ohio’s 6th District, in the eastern part of the state.

On his first day on Capitol Hill, the former state senator and director of operations for his family’s 100-year-old grocery store, Rulli Bros. Market, did not waste any time getting acquainted.

“I want to get a lot of work done, and I'm not really looking to get the headlines, but I think there could be a lot of work if we get together and we figure things out,” he said.

Rulli is passionate about energy policy. He said he particularly wanted more power to come from natural gas, which is abundant in the 6th District.

“Within the tri-state here, the Utica Marcellus Shale, there's enough natural gas deposits underneath the ground to supply the Earth for 500 years right now,” Rulli said.

Rulli will serve the remainder of former Rep. Bill Johnson’s term. Johnson stepped down in January to become president of Youngstown State University.

Rulli won a special election on June 11 against Democrat Michael Kripchak, though by a narrower margin than expected in a district that leans red. The district has an 18% advantage to Republicans based on voting results in partisan statewide elections over the past decade.

However, because turnout was less than 10% in the special election, Rulli was hopeful he would get more votes when he faces the same opponent in November for a full-two-year term starting in January 2025.

“Having President Trump on the ballot is going to help out a lot because it is a red district,” he said. “So I think we just have to motivate people to get out.”

Rulli’s committee assignments are expected to be announced this week. He has said he would like to be on both the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.