In 2019, state Representative Dorothy Liggett Pelanda opted not to seek reelection to her state House seat, and Richardson easily won the Republican primary to succeed her.[5] She went on to win the general election with nearly 70% of the vote.
In 2019, Richardson co-sponsored legislation that would ban abortion in Ohio and criminalize what they called "abortion murder". Doctors who performed abortions in cases of ectopic pregnancy and other life-threatening conditions would be exempt from prosecution only if they "[took] all possible steps to preserve the life of the unborn child, while preserving the life of the woman. Such steps include, if applicable, attempting to reimplant an ectopic pregnancy into the woman's uterus".[6][7][8] Reimplantation of an ectopic pregnancy is not a recognized or medically feasible procedure.[6][9]