Bill Johnson to resign Jan. 21 from Congress for YSU presidency
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YOUNGSTOWN - Bill Johnson moved up the date of his congressional resignation to Jan. 21 and will start the next day as Youngstown State University president.
Johnson, a Republican who just moved from Marietta to Canfield, submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday to Gov. Mike DeWine and Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House. Johnson has represented the 6th Congressional District for 13 years.
In identical letters to the governor and House speaker, Johnson wrote: "The hardworking men and women who call the 6th District, old and new, home - from Youngstown to Portsmouth, from St. Clairsville to Zanesville - are proud and patriotic. But they are too often disregarded by America's elites, be they political, media, corporate and / or academic."
He added: "These blue-collar communities, like countless others in 'flyover country,' were critical in building our great nation and will play a pivotal role in America's future. I am extremely humbled to have been repeatedly elected to serve them."
Johnson's office declined further comment Tuesday.
The YSU board of trustees voted 8-1 on Nov. 21 to hire Johnson after agreeing five days prior at a quickly called emergency meeting to offer him the job.
Molly Seals was the lone trustee to vote "no" on offering the job to Johnson and the hiring.
His start date was to be March 15, but Michael Peterson, president of the YSU Board of Trustees, has said he wanted Johnson to begin earlier.
The decision to hire Johnson was met with vocal criticism from faculty, students, alumni and donors who objected to the confidential search as well as his politics and lack of experience in higher education.
Johnson's politics during his time in Congress drew the most opposition, particularly his votes objecting to the 2020 presidential election - in which Republican Donald Trump, who Johnson supports, falsely claims was stolen - as well as his positions opposing gay marriage and abortions, and what he says is "indoctrination" at some universities.
In a Tuesday letter on behalf of the trustees, Peterson wrote: "We are excited to have him on campus earlier than anticipated. Bill will continue to visit campus as often as his schedule allows to continue meeting with students, faculty and staff. Bill brings a commitment to advancing our institution's mission and we eagerly anticipate the contributions he and his wife LeeAnn will make to our community."
Neal McNally, YSU's vice president for finance and business operations, started Dec. 27 as acting president. He replaced Helen K. Lafferty, who served as interim president since Feb. 1, 2023. Lafferty was supposed to stay in that position until the trustees hired a permanent replacement.
SPECIAL ELECTIONS
The 11-county 6th District, with Mahoning as its most-populous county, would not have a representative for several months - and possibly most of this year - with Johnson's resignation.
DeWine needs to schedule a special primary and general election for the unexpired term.
Dan Tierney, DeWine's spokesman, said Tuesday: "Our legal team has started to reach out to the Secretary of State's Office to determine the options for special elections. We hope to have a statement soon."
Tierney declined to say what "soon" meant.
"We want to make sure the secretary of state can actually conduct the elections declared by the governor," he said. "We intend to work on it collaboratively. We're not the only party in the process."
The timing of Johnson's resignation means a special primary for the remainder of his unexpired term can't be held at the same time as the March 19 primary for the full two-year term starting in January 2025.
Though DeWine can schedule the special elections at any time, he has planned previous ones for congressional vacancies during the same months as typical elections: May (during non-presidential years), August and November.
There is the possibility of a special primary in May and a general election in August or an August primary and a November general election, though nothing has been decided.
Under the latter scenario, there would be two general elections for the seat in November: one for the full two-year term and one to fill Johnson's unexpired term for about six weeks, depending on the certification of the results.
Under the other scenario, there could be as many as four elections in the district's 11 counties during a presidential year.
If only one candidate for each political party files for the unexpired term during a special primary, that actual election wouldn't need to be held with the nominees advancing to the special general election.
Each special election would cost more than $1 million to hold.
David Betras, chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, urged DeWine to have a special primary in August and have the special general election on the same day as the Nov. 5 regular general election.
"It's very burdensome for us in a presidential election year to have our staff do everything that has to be done four times," he said. "It's a lot of extra work."
With Johnson's decision to take the YSU job and not seek reelection, it would be the first election since 2006 in which the 6th Congressional District doesn't have an incumbent.
The open seat, with the term starting in January 2025, attracted three Republicans, including two current officeholders: state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem, state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus of Paris Township and Rick Tsai of East Palestine.
Also, two Democrats - Michael L. Kripchak of Youngstown and Rylan Z. Finzer of Bedford Heights - filed for the seat.
The district has an 18% advantage for Republicans based on voting trends in partisan statewide elections over the past decade. The seat is considered a safe one for Republicans.
When Johnson vacates the seat, the Republican majority over Democrats in the U.S. House will be down to 219-213.
dskolnick@vindy.com