Longtime Ohio conservative Republican leader Scott Pullins announced on Thursday he is exploring a second run for Ohio House District 98 in 2024. State Representative Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville), who is currently in that seat, will not be able to run again because of term limits which, in theory, would create an open seat, but new districts will have to be drawn again.
Pullins, from Knox County, ran for election to the Ohio House District 98, which includes all of Knox County and parts of Morrow and Holmes counties, against Kick in the August 2022 Republican primary. He lost to Kick but gained 43 percent of the vote.
Pullins told The Ohio Star that during the 2022 election that “there was more mail in that race from outside groups on Darrell’s behalf then there was from his campaign.” Pullins claimed that despite the dark money special interest groups spent on Kick’s behalf, the 2022 election results prove he is a competitor to win in District 98.
“Despite an onslaught of special interest, out-of-state, dark money spent on Darrell Kick’s behalf, we showed we can compete in this district,” Pullins said.
The Ohio Star reached out for comment from Kick on the claims but did not receive a reply before press time.
According to Pullins (pictured above), he is only considering another run for Ohio House District 98 at this point because, like the prior election, state legislative districts are not yet set and could dramatically change.
“I’m looking forward to knocking on doors and meeting even more Republicans throughout the district over the next year,” Pullins said.
Ohio-based attorney Pullins is also a charter school board member, political adviser, and author. He offers services to individuals, small enterprises, financial institutions, and political organizations.
Pullins has advised clients on difficult legal, commercial, marketing, and governmental concerns. In addition, he helped form the Ohio Taxpayers Association. He serves on a charter school board and was chosen to serve on the Knox County Republican Central Committee. He formally served as chairman and vice chairman of the Knox County Republican Central Committee and as vice chairman of the Knox County Republican Executive Committee.
He attended Ohio University and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School.
Pullins says that with his vast experience, he is the best person to represent District 98. No other candidates for the seat have come forward to date.
“I have over three decades of work fighting for lower taxes, medical freedom, the second amendment, and for liberty,” Pullins said.
Pullins told The Star if elected, two of the primary issues he would focus on is medical freedom and standing against “woke” politics.
“I think our states, especially our red states like Ohio, are kind of the last fortress of standing against woke politics. And the thing you have to realize is a lot of these woke corporations have infiltrated the conservative movement and the Republican party. I think the state legislature is really a way of pushing back against that,” Pullins said.
According to Pullins, he is a supporter of the pro-life movement, education reform including more school choice options and banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), election integrity including requiring a photo ID to vote, and believes in constitutional carry.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Scott Pullins” by Scott Pullins. Background Photo “Ohio Capitol” by Ɱ. CC BY-SA 4.0.
