Who's running in Ohio's 9th congressional district
3 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
3 candidates · ballot order · Marcy Kaptur currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Manufacturing and trade policy protective of American industrial jobs.
Great Lakes restoration and water quality.
Federal appropriations directed at north-west Ohio, as a senior appropriator.
Abortion rights; she is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Opposition to mid-decade gerrymandering; she says it diminishes Ohio's stature.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative since January 1983; the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress.
Re-elected in 2024 with 48.3%, beating Derek Merrin by 2,382 votes.
Senior member of the House Appropriations Committee; former urban planner.
Her district was redrawn in 2025 in a way that increased the Republican advantage; the statewide map shifted Ohio's delegation toward 12-3 Republican.
Arguments in favor
Labour, environmental, abortion-rights and campaign finance organisations have endorsed her re-election.
— American Federation of Government Employees, Ohio Conference of Teamsters, League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Action Fund and End Citizens United
Jewish community and Middle East diplomacy organisations have also endorsed her, alongside Elect Democratic Women — support her campaign presents as a coalition wide enough to hold a district drawn against her.
— J Street PAC, Jewish Democratic Council of America, Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs and Elect Democratic Women
Arguments against
Her opponent says that in more than forty years she has had only five bills signed into law, calling her one of the least effective legislators in Congress, and that north-west Ohio has been left behind because of her.
— Derek Merrin, her Republican opponent
The same opponent says she voted with the previous administration about 90% of the time and that her immigration position put a knife in the back of union workers by letting people in the country illegally take their jobs.
— Derek Merrin, quoted by Fox News
What we couldn’t verify
Merrin's bill count and voting-percentage figures are his campaign's; they were not independently verified here, and Kaptur's response to them was not located.
His claim that she believes nobody should be allowed to drive a petrol car is a characterisation her campaign has not confirmed, and it is not presented here as her position.
No National Republican Congressional Committee page naming Kaptur was located, though the committee is supporting Merrin through its MAGA Majority programme.
Tax cuts and limits on government spending, a record recognised by Club for Growth.
Manufacturing and energy jobs in north-west Ohio.
Border security and immigration enforcement, which he ties directly to union jobs.
Opposition to electric vehicle mandates.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Ohio state representative for the 42nd district from August 2016 to January 2025.
Republican nominee for this district in 2024; lost to Marcy Kaptur by 2,382 votes.
Won a contested Republican primary on May 5, 2026 against a field including Alea Nadeem, Madison Sheahan and Josh Williams.
Endorsed for the primary and the general election by President Trump; supported by the NRCC's MAGA Majority programme.
Voted repeatedly for data centre tax breaks while in the Ohio House.
Arguments in favor
President Trump endorsed him, and the House Republican campaign committee has put him in its MAGA Majority programme for priority challengers.
— President Donald Trump; National Republican Congressional Committee
He came within 2,382 votes of taking the seat in 2024 on lines less favourable to him than the ones now in place, which his campaign presents as the strongest case that the seat is winnable.
— The Merrin campaign, and 2024 results reported by Courthouse News Service
Arguments against
Kaptur's campaign calls him a puppet politician who sells out working Ohioans to pad his corporate backers' pockets, pointing to his past support for Larry Householder, the former Ohio House speaker later imprisoned in a corruption case.
— The Kaptur campaign
The Ohio Democratic Party says he has a long record of voting for data centre tax breaks and has refused to answer questions about it, as electricity costs became a live issue in the state.
— Ohio Democratic Party
What we couldn’t verify
The Householder connection is characterised by his opponent's campaign; Merrin has not been accused of wrongdoing in that case, and his own account of the relationship was not located.
Both criticisms of him come from Democratic party sources; no independent reporting critical of him by name was found for this cycle.
His 2026 fundraising was not established from sources read.
Libertarian candidate for Ohio's 9th District in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Althaus's biography and policy positions could not be established: no campaign website, candidate questionnaire or news profile covering him was located. The standsFor and most of the record are left empty rather than filled with guesses.
No published criticism of Althaus by name could be found, and no published case for him beyond the ballot listing.
His fundraising was not established from sources read.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Ohio held its primary on May 5, 2026, under the new congressional map adopted in October 2025. This is a rematch: Republican Derek Merrin lost to Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur by 2,382 votes in 2024 and won a contested Republican primary again in 2026. Libertarian Matthew Althaus is also on the ballot. The district is based in Toledo, Sandusky and the western Lake Erie shore, and the new map was drawn to make it more Republican; Kaptur announced she would seek re-election anyway. The Cook Political Report still rates the race a toss-up while Sabato's Crystal Ball moved it to lean Republican. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia and Ohio Capital Journal and Ideastream reporting. Criticism of Althaus by name could not be found, so his entry carries no arguments in either column.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Ohio ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.