GOP voters send Merrin to rematch with longtime congresswoman in Ohio's 9th District

Two years after a narrow defeat by incumbent Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur, Derek Merrin will look to take advantage of a newly redrawn district map and flip Ohio's 9th Congressional District red.

Despite a crowded primary field with four other candidates, the former state representative cruised to the nomination with 25,024 votes, or 44.1% of the total.

"I'm honored by the support we received from conservatives across northwest Ohio," Merrin said in a statement. "Northwest Ohio is ready for fresh new leadership. That's why we are going to defeat Marcy Kaptur this November."

Kaptur is the longest-serving U.S. congresswoman in history.

"After decades in Washington, she's part of the problem — not the solution. Our campaign offers a clear alternative: new leadership, a focus on lowering costs, supporting law and order, and putting Northwest Ohio first. Tonight is the beginning," he said.

Experience clearly mattered to Republican voters in the district, as the only other hopeful to come close to Merrin was state Representative Josh Williams.

Williams ended up with 14,366 votes, or 25.32% of the total.

In third place was Madison Sheahan, who served as deputy director of ICE under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Some conservatives feared Sheahan would bring negative publicity to the race.

Sheahan, who entered the race late and raised a significant amount of money in her ultimately unsuccessful bid, garnered 11,467 votes, or 20.21%.

November's midterm election will now be a rematch of Kaptur versus Merrin after the two squared off in 2024 for the congressional seat occupied by the Democrat since 1983.

Merrin made a strong showing in the previous election, but Kaptur held off her Republican challenger by just 2,382 votes.

Trump's waning popularity amid the Iran war and drastic increases in the cost of living for most Americans, as well as Kaptur's 22-term tenure, will make the November election an uphill battle for Merrin, who served four terms in the Ohio House from 2016-2025.

However, Republicans are hopeful a new district map — redrawn in October 2025 — could shift the balance of power in northwest Ohio.

The redistricting effort makes the district slightly more favorable to Republicans, and Sabato's Crystal Ball updated the race to "leans Republican" on May 4.

The Cook Political Report, however, continues to rate the race as one of 16 toss-ups in the upcoming midterms.

The district is comprised primarily of Toledo, Sandusky and the surrounding areas, and even though its residents voted overwhelming in favor of President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, Kaptur remains entrenched in the area where she was born and raised.

First elected to Congress in 1983, Kaptur has over $3.1 million in cash on hand and was unchallenged in the primary.

Merrin will need to raise funds quickly if he hopes to boost name recognition and compete in ad spending; he has under $200,000 in untapped contributions following the primary.

In a statement the night of the primary, Kaptur dubbed her newly anointed Republican opponent "extreme" and reminded voters she's already beat him once.

"Northwest Ohio voters already rejected Merrin in 2024 … and he has pledged to back the Big Bonanza for Billionaires Bill that threatens healthcare for tens of thousands of Ohioans — all to fund another round of tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations," she said.

The colorful nickname refers to Ohio House Bill 96, the state budget, which includes a flat tax found by Policy Matters to primarily benefit those who earn over $1.8 million annually.

"Northwest Ohio has always been my home, and the people here have always been my priority," said Kaptur. "I will never stop fighting to lower costs, protect the healthcare and Social Security working families have earned, and hold anyone accountable who puts special interests ahead of the hardworking families I am honored to serve.

"That's the choice in this election — a fighter who shows up for Northwest Ohio, or a self-serving politician who has spent his career showing up for himself," she said.

Kaptur also referred to her opponent as a "Householder hanger-on," a cheeky jab at Merrin's refusal to vote for the removal of former Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder after he was indicted on federal racketeering charges.

Householder was ousted from his position anyway and ultimately convicted of bribery for his role in masterminding a $1 billion taxpayer-funded bailout of two failing nuclear power plants.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wasted no time in reminding voters of Merrin's past failure when it released a statement the morning after the primary.

"Northwest Ohio voters squarely rejected Derek Merrin in 2024 when they sent Marcy Kaptur back to Congress even after Republican mapmakers rigged the district against her. But Merrin, a self-serving politician who has been running for his next job since his twenties, apparently enjoys being humiliated and wants to try again. And in the two years since his last defeat, his record has only gotten more extreme," the committee said.

Alea Nadeem, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and Anthony Campbell, a healthcare worker, finished fourth and fifth in the primary, respectively.

Nadeem received 3,101 votes, or 5.47% of the total, while 2,781 voters chose Campbell, about 4.9%.

According to the unofficial results posted on the Ohio Secretary of State's website, 56,739 voters took part in the district's primary election.