COLUMBUS, Ohio — Across the Buckeye State, all 99 seats in the State House of Representatives are up for election this year. Political experts say this could shift the balance of power within the Republican Party. Southern Ohio's 90th District could be a competitive one.
What You Need To Know
- 2024 is an election year with all 99 House Districts running for the Ohio Statehouse seats
- State Rep. Justin Pizzulli represents Ohio's 90th district and is running against two Republican candidates
- Spectrum News has been highlighting various races statewide
Incumbent State Representative Justin Pizzulli has represented the 90th district for less than a year, and is running for the seat after being appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to succeed former State Representative Brian Baldridge. The competitive race has just begun and Pizzulli believes he’s the right fit. Having experienced the role and understanding committee hearings, legislative passage, and participating in the legislative process.
“We also need someone that knows how to get their hands dirty,” Pizzulli said. “I’m a licensed commercial freight conductor. And, I know how to work all hours of the night, seven days a week. And that’s what I’ve done. And that’s what I will continue to do in Columbus.”
His Republican opponents are businessman Timothy Wheeler, who says he has no previous political experience, and economic development advocate Gina Collinsworth, who has unsuccessfully run for the seat in the past. Both of the opponents believe they are the right fit due to their name recognition in the community and understanding the landscape.
“I want to go in with a 100% of everyone understanding that I believe it takes common sense,” Wheeler said. “If I’m sitting there and I see a bill roll across my desk, the first thing I’m going to do is look at it and say, is this good for the people in my district or is it bad?”
“We want somebody up there in Columbus with a backbone and a love for the area that’s going to stand up for us and represent our area,” Collinsworth said. “You know, it’s unique down here.”
All candidates have a conservative agenda. Wheeler is focusing on education and diminishing drug rehab centers in the area.
“The problem that we have here is that we are bussing people in from other states,” Wheeler said. “Big cities, and we are treating it like a business instead of an actual rehab center. And the only thing that’s really being seen from this is dollars. It’s taxpayer dollars.”
Meanwhile, Collinsworth is targeting the workforce, economic development and infrastructure.
“So, where I go to work every day, we’re working on finding the funding for water and sewer upgrades and installations,” Collinsworth said. “We’re working on transportation issues, bridges, replacing roads and culverts. We work with small business on gap-lending and commercial-lending.”
As a sitting State Representative, Pizzulli has focused on gun legislation, community housing, and protecting local state parks. Earlier this month, the Ohio Controlling Board approved $4 million for the Department of Natural Resources, and Pizzulli says a portion of the money will go toward local projects in Scioto County.
“Our problems are a little different from the rest of the state in southern Ohio,” Pizzulli said. But I’ll be fighting to make sure that we get the resources and we get a little help down here."
All the candidates have expressed the need for broadband internet, clean water and natural gas in their district.