Marcy Kaptur fights off challenge for Ohio House seat

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) will win her House race for another term representing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, Decision Desk HQ projects.

Kaptur defeated Republican Derek Merrin, a state House member, to win another term in office, continuing her 40-year congressional career. The longest-serving woman in the House, Kaptur has easily won reelection throughout most of her time in Congress but faced a more daunting challenge this time as her district became more competitive following Ohio’s redistricting process.

She is also one of a handful of House Democrats representing districts that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

But Kaptur was able to hold on to win in the Toledo-area district, where she was a slight favorite and where she had significantly outraised and outspent her opponent.

The district was a target particularly for Republicans two years ago after redistricting, but Kaptur won easily against Republican J.R. Majewski, whose candidacy was plagued by accusations about him misrepresenting his military service record.

Majewski briefly ran again for the GOP nomination in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing Merrin, likely giving Republicans a better chance at taking the seat. But Merrin still fell short in defeating the longtime incumbent.

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