In a rematch that could determine which party controls the U.S. House this fall, Republican Derek Merrin is set to square off again with longtime incumbent Marcy Kaptur.
Merrin, a former state representative, again nabbed the Republican nomination in the 9th district, which includes Toledo and swaths of rural Northwest Ohio, stretching into Vermilion to the east.
The pair faced off in 2024, with Kaptur narrowly eking out a victory by about 2,300 votes, her closest contest in decades.
The race is viewed as a toss-up; after the Republican-controlled Statehouse redrew congressional maps ahead of the midterms, conservatives are hoping to finally wrangle the seat away from a decades-long Democratic stronghold.
鈥�40-year career politician Marcy Kaptur has failed Ohioans for decades and Northwest Ohioans are ready for change," wrote Zach Bannon, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement Tuesday night. "While Kaptur has pushed a radical far-left agenda of higher taxes, open borders, and sex change surgeries for kids, Derek Merrin is set to flip the seat red in order to deliver commonsense leadership and real results."
Kaptur's campaign was quick to frame the race against Merrin Tuesday night. An email release said Merrin has spent his career "rubber-stamping" special interests that fund his campaign.
"That's the choice in this election 鈥� a fighter who shows up for Northwest Ohio, or a self-serving politician who has spent his career showing up for himself," Kaptur said in a statement.
Kaptur, currently the longest serving woman in Congress, has criticized the new maps for what she says unfairly gerrymanders her district.
"Gerrymandering diminishes our state鈥檚 stature even as population stagnates," Kaptur said in October after new maps were approved. "Ohio voters have consistently called for fair representation and transparency. While Democrats on the Redistricting Commission proposed a fair map at the outset of this process, in one party rule Columbus, self-interested politicians cut side deals to pave their own future."
Merrin beat out four other Republicans in a crowded primary field Tuesday, according to unofficial results. In tow was former state Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Township. Other candidates included former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Madison Sheahan, Air Force officer Alea Nadeem and health care data scientist Anthony Campbell.
The primary was among the most contested in the state, gaining national attention as one of the closest-watched Congressional races that could help decide which party controls the U.S. House.
