PORTSMOUTH- In a three-way race for the Republican nod for the 90th district Ohio House of Representatives seat, Justin Pizzulli will likely be facing Democrat Kate Nunnelley in November.

Pizzulli carried Scioto County, receiving 3,592 votes. Collinsworth received 2,669 and Wheeler received 1,698. Adams and Brown counties had not returned total Election Night vote counts prior to deadline.

Incumbent Pizzulli, of Franklin Furnace, was appointed by the Speaker of the House to the seat in June 2023. He filled the seat left vacant by former Rep. Brian Baldridge’s move in 2023 to head the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Pizzulli and fellow Republican Gina Collinsworth ran against Baldridge in a previous primary wherein Baldridge won the race.

Collinsworth commented on the end of the end of a hard-fought campaign Tuesday evening after the returns.

“I want to thank all the voters who believed in me and came out today to cast their vote,” Collinsworth said. “I encourage everyone to look for ways to contribute to making their community better and to keep believing in our home southern Ohio.”

“Better days are ahead.”

In this primary, Pizzulli and Collinsworth were joined in the race by Tim Wheeler, a businessman from Minford. He ran on being an outsider and running a business that worked closely with business development and offering services to the public.

“I may have lost the battle, but I won the war!” said Wheeler after the votes were counted. “With less than $15,000 in total contributions compared to my opponents having hundreds of thousands spent on them, I feel we did very well. I congratulate the winners of all the local races and wish them all the best.”

Pizzulli was unavailable for comment at press time.

Democrat Kate Nunnelley was unopposed in that party’s primary. She is from Manchester in Adams County.

Reach Lori McNelly at [email protected] or at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1928. © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved