Booths await voters at the Pennington County Administration Building during early voting on January 19, 2026, for the municipal election in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Photo: Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
Five candidates are running in the Republican primary for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District to challenge longtime incumbent Marcy Kaptur.
The candidates are Ohio Republican Josh Williams, former Ohio Republican Derek Merrin, former Air National Guard Lt. Col. Alea Nadeem, former U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan and a health care industry employee Anthony Campbell.
Republican voters in northwest Ohio will cast their ballots in the Ohio primary on May 5.
“It could be an ugly elementary school,” he said David Cohen, employee of the Applied Policy Institute. Ray C. Bliss at the University of Akron.
Whoever wins the primary election will face him Democrat from Ohio U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has represented Ohio’s 9th Congressional District since 1983, making her the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
“While Republicans near and far fight in the primary elections in this district that saw renewed unrest last fall, Congresswoman Kaptur is focused on delivering real results to voters in northwest Ohio,” the Kaptur campaign said in a statement. “There is more work to be done and she is not slowing down.”
A hood is someone who knows how to win elections, run campaigns and raise money, Cohen said.
“She doesn’t have to spend any money on building her recognition,” he said. “Everyone in the Ninth (District) who has a pulse knows who Marcy Kaptur is.”
In 2024, President Donald Trump won this district by 11 points TThis is what the Cook Political Report says the district race is a bust.
The The Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously passed a recent congress map in October, increasing Republicans edge in the state to 12-3.
Republicans currently hold 10 of Ohio’s 15 congressional districts.
Ohio’s 9th Congressional District currently leans Republican, with a Republican-to-Democrat ratio of 54.5% to 45.5%.
Midterm elections typically favor the president’s opposing party, with Democrats trying to take control of the House.
There are 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats in the House of Representatives US House of Representatives. There are currently three positions available.
“It’s no secret that most House Republicans are razor thin.” Cohen he said. “Every place counts.”
Williams
Williams is the Ohio State Representative for Sylvania County and serves as Majority Whip in the Ohio House of Representatives. He was elected to office in 2022 and was the first Black Republican elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 50 years.
Get it
Get it He was a four-term Ohio state representative from Toledo from 2016 to 2025. He lost a close race to Hood in the 2024 election.
Hood received 181,098 votes and Merrin received 178,716 votes. Merrin also served as mayor of Waterville, a suburb of Toledo, from 2008 to 2011.
“Our comeback starts with more good-paying jobs, and I want to fight to bring us back home because we need American jobs to strengthen Northwest Ohio’s economy,” Merrin said in his campaign video.
Nadeem
Nadeem is running for office for the first time and he is Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the Security Forces squadron in the Air National Guard.
She is from Toledo but spent four years in Iraq Saddam Hussein she was in power when she was a child, after her father kidnapped her. Her mother worked with the FBI and local authorities in Toledo to bring her back to the United States.
“Now more than ever, Northwest Ohio must demand more and aim higher,” Nadeem said campaign video. “After 43 years in Washington, Marcy Kaptur, the career politician, has lost her touch.”
Sheahan
Sheahan grew up in northwest Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs.
She was then the political director of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem from 2021 to 2024, and from January 2023 to January 2024 she served as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party.
Sheahan also served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from January 2024 to March 2025 until she began working at ICE.
“I stopped more illegal immigration in less than a year at ICE than Marcy Kaptur did in 43 years in Washington,” Sheahan said. her campaign video.
“I am a Trump conservative, running for Congress to protect American jobs, American paychecks and American values. No excuses. Let’s do it.”
“I’m sure in several districts, being a former deputy director of ICE would be a positive,” Cohen said. “But I don’t see a positive outcome from No. 9 Ohio.”
He said it was “surprising” that Sheahan entered the race.
“Frankly, I think it’s a lack of self-awareness to think that someone who held a very senior position in one of the most unpopular agencies in our federal government would be able to simply waltz into a crowded primary and not only accept the nomination, but also be the most competitive candidate in the general election,” Cohen said.
January YouGuv Poll found that a majority of Americans believe that ICE often uses unnecessary force and have a negative view of the agency. The enormous majority said the agency had fundamental problems it needed to address and that recruitment standards needed to be raised.
The Lucas County Republican Party recently voted overwhelmingly that the person it endorses must have lived in the district for the past year, it said Tomek Waniewski, party chairman for communications.
That vote came after Sheahan entered the race and the Lucas County GOP said it would likely endorse the candidate after the May primary, Waniewski said.
Campbell
Campbell grew up in Sandusky and says he is vice president of data science and analytics at NOMS Healthcare. Linkedin account.
He earned degrees from Bowling Green State University, Liberty University and Xavier University.
Questionnaire
The Ohio Capital Journal sent a questionnaire to all GOP candidates, but Williams and Nadeem were the only candidates to submit responses. Candidates’ responses to the questionnaire have been abbreviated for brevity.
Why are you running for Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District?
Williams: “I’m running for Congress to bring in new leadership that understands hardship and knows how to fight a broken system. I was born and raised in poverty in inner-city Toledo, experienced homelessness as a teenager, and later suffered a life-changing injury that left me disabled for over six years. Through faith and perseverance, I rebuilt my life, becoming a lawyer, a professor, and now Majority Whip of the Ohio House of Representatives.”
Nadeem: “I’m running for Congress because I’m tired of watching career politicians win elections and lose touch with the people they’re supposed to serve. … I’m running because I believe in conservative values. I believe in responsibility. I believe in putting Northwest Ohio first. And I’m ready to fight for it.”
What is one thing you want voters to know about you that they can’t learn from your biography?
Williams: “What voters can’t learn from a biography is how tirelessly I show up and fight for this district. … I have attended countless GOP caucus meetings and grassroots events in Northwest Ohio and met with over 100 local elected officials and community leaders to hear directly what the people need. For me, this is not about politics, but about a true calling to serve Northwest Ohio.”
Nadeem: “I’m not here to get attention. I am humble by nature. I don’t like talking about myself and I don’t believe that leadership is about self-promotion. It’s about service. What drives me is simple: solving problems, delivering real results, and fighting to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation.”
In 2024, President Donald Trump won this district by 11 points. The Cook Political Report calls the race in this district a toss-up. Can you talk about the importance of this race and why it’s vital to you to flip the district Republican?
Williams: “This district offers one of the clearest opportunities in the country for Democrats to flip the Republican ticket and protect President Trump’s House majority. … There has been a lack of a candidate who can unite the conservative base, galvanize turnout, and fight with the same urgency and conviction as President Trump. … This race will facilitate determine control of the House, the success of President Trump’s agenda, the future of the country, and prove that America First leadership is winning even in districts held by Democrats for decades. Flipping this district is vital not only for northwest Ohio, is critical to America.”
Nadeem: “Control of the House of Representatives will likely come down to this district. Northwest Ohio needs a leader in Congress who will work with the President rather than reflexively oppose every policy. I will be a labor leader in Toledo and along the Lake Erie coast, and I will have one more seat in the majority that can produce real results. Voters have already shown us where they stand. “Republicans just need to provide voters with an attractive alternative to Marcy Kaptur in 2026.”
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