Kaptur beats Merrin in Ohio House rematch

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) is projected to win a 23rd term representing Ohio in the House, emerging from a tough rematch with Republican Derek Merrin, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Notching another two-year term in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, Kaptur extends her record as the longest-serving woman in congressional history. She is projected to notch nearly 53 percent of the vote, with 10 percent of the vote reported as of early Wednesday.

The Democrat scraped by against Merrin by less than a percentage point in 2024, winning by just 2,382 votes .

A year later, Ohio underwent redistricting that squeezed Kaptur’s northwestern Ohio district: It voted for President Trump by 7 points in 2024 but would have backed him by 11 points under the new maps.

A Libertarian on the 2024 ballot was seen by some as a spoiler , but the third party’s candidate withdrew his 2026 bid, leaving Kaptur and Merrin alone on the ballot.

Merrin, who was a part of the Republican House campaign arm’s “MAGA Majority” program, was also boosted by Ohio visits from Trump and Vice President Vance as they sought to turn out Republicans for other tough Buckeye State races, including a battleground Senate contest between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

But although Tuesday’s race marked the most challenging of Kaptur’s career, she significantly outraised and outspent Merrin, a former state representative backed by Trump .

Heading into the race, DDHQ gave Kaptur an estimated 7 in 10 chance of winning.