Saying incumbent state Sen. Michael Rulli is “trying to kill us with anti-science” and is an “entitled wimp,” Democrat Robert Hagan, a former longtime state legislator, said he will challenge the Salem Republican, who is seeking re-election.

Rulli, running for a second four-year term, said that Hagan of Youngstown “can have fun with his words.” Rulli then said that Hagan “has the reputation of being a leftist extremist.”

Hagan served 28 years in the state Legislature — 10 years in the House followed by 10 in the Senate and then eight more in the House. Hagan was one of the most liberal legislators during his time there.

He couldn’t run for re-election in 2014 because of the state’s term limits law and his wife, Michele Lepore-Hagan, succeeded him and is finishing her fourth and final two-year term in the House this year.

The 33rd Senate District was drawn to favor Republicans, which has led to Democrats avoiding a challenge to Rulli. It includes all of Mahoning, Columbiana and Carroll counties. Before redistricting, the district included all of the first two counties. Carroll, a small but very Republican county, was added, starting with this year’s election, because of the district’s population decline.

Feb. 2 is the filing deadline for the May 3 primary.

Hagan acknowledged beating Rulli in the district will be challenging.

“My job is to define who Mike Rulli is,” Hagan said. “He’s an entitled wimp who hides all the time. He’s protecting the interests of the corrupt Republicans.”

Less than three months ago, Hagan said he was looking at becoming Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman and had no interest in returning to the state Legislature.

But Hagan said Monday he changed his mind.

“I’ve reached the point in my life where I confront those people,” he said. “I’m not in the mood to back away from protecting democracy. It’s time for someone like me to step up and challenge him. Rulli pays too much attention to the corporate elite. He’s done nothing for working families and nothing for the (Youngstown) school system. I watched it all develop and decided to get into this race.”

Hagan said he no longer plans to run for county Democratic chairman.

Rulli pointed out that Hagan said he didn’t plan to run for the Legislature.

“Something changed, but I’m proud of my record,” Rulli said. “I have 47 bills and I’m proud of them. I’m not going to start throwing mud.”

Hagan said Rulli “hides from the voters and the press and he protects the corrupt Republican elite who took $61 million and he said nothing. He’s always silent.”

Hagan was referring to the House Bill 6 bailout legislation at the center of an FBI investigation into an alleged $61 million public corruption scheme.

Larry Householder, a former House speaker, and four other Republicans were charged with racketeering conspiracy charges and accused of providing a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout of two failed nuclear power plants in exchange for the $61 million. Two pleaded guilty and a third killed himself while Householder and Matt Borges, a former Ohio Republican Party chairman, have pleaded not guilty.

Rulli said Hagan is wrong about his position on HB 6. Rulli voted against it and is seeking to repeal and replace it.

“I find it funny that he’s going to tie me to this when I was the champion against HB 6,” Rulli said. “I was the most vocal opponent of HB 6. Also, Michele Lepore-Hagan voted for Larry Householder to put him in as speaker.”

Hagan also said Rulli’s vote to restrict the governor’s authority to authorize health emergencies, such as the ones imposed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, show the incumbent is “trying to kill us with anti-science. He’s an anti-science, anti-vaccine idiot. He has to step up and protect people and he’s refusing.”