Marcy Kaptur
DIncumbentFEC H2OH09031
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Raised this cycle$5.9M
Cash on hand: $698K
2026 race
OH-09 — U.S. House
2 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Marcy Kaptur.
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How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Democratic primary · Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Marcy KapturWon
Republican primary · Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Derek MerrinWon44.1%
- RJosh WilliamsDefeated25.3%
- RMadison SheahanDefeated20.2%
- RAlea NadeemDefeated5.5%
- RAnthony Bruce CampbellDefeated4.9%
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Ohio Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$15M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Derek Merrin
RChallengerFEC H4OH09169
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Raised this cycle$2.2M
Cash on hand: $449K
5 defeated candidates — show
Josh Williams
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6OH09131
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Raised this cycle$975K
Cash on hand: $9K
Alea Nadeem
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6OH09115
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Raised this cycle$750K
Cash on hand: $0
Madison Sheahan
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6OH09172
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Raised this cycle$272K
Cash on hand: $215
Wayne Charles Kinsel
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6OH09123
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Raised this cycle$91K
Cash on hand: $33K
Anthony Bruce Campbell
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6OH09149
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Raised this cycle$34K
Cash on hand: $7K
Local signal
Early read on OH-09 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Marcy Kapturleans negative
0 pos18 neutral1 neg19 articles
Derek Merrinleans negative
0 pos9 neutral1 neg10 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$15M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$10M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$5.1M
$434K for · $4.6M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcy Kaptur(D)incumbent + HMP $239K + PROGRESSIVE TURNOUT PROJECT $54K + THOMAS PAINE SOCIETY L.L.C. $4K − CLF $2.9M | $5.9M | $300K | $2.9M | $3.3M |
Derek Merrin(R) + HONORING AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT PAC $25K + LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR A SAFER AMERICA PAC $12K + CLUB FOR GROWTH PAC $7K − HMP $1.7M − AMERICAN RESOLVE PAC INC. $60K − AMERICANS UNITED FOR VALUES $5K | $2.2M | $44K | $1.7M | $520K |
5 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Williams(R)defeated + AMERICAN DREAM OHIO PAC $45K | $975K | $45K | — | $1.0M |
Alea Nadeem(R)defeated | $750K | — | — | $750K |
Madison Sheahan(R)defeated + AMERICAN RESOLVE PAC INC. $40K + AMERICANS UNITED FOR VALUES $5K | $272K | $45K | — | $317K |
Wayne Charles Kinsel(R)defeated | $91K | — | — | $91K |
Anthony Bruce Campbell(R)defeated | $34K | — | — | $34K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside OH versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Marcy Kaptur(D)22% in-state · $2.7M itemized
$581K in-state$2.1M out-of-state
Derek Merrin(R)40% in-state · $782K itemized
$311K in-state$471K out-of-state
4 defeated candidates — show
Josh Williams(R)defeated48% in-state · $382K itemized
$183K in-state$199K out-of-state
Alea Nadeem(R)defeated30% in-state · $305K itemized
$90K in-state$215K out-of-state
Wayne Charles Kinsel(R)defeated55% in-state · $31K itemized
$17K in-state$14K out-of-state
Anthony Bruce Campbell(R)defeated81% in-state · $4K itemized
$3K in-state$736 out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Kaptur | Merrin | You |
|---|---|---|---|
Taxescontested People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — | ||
Agriculture Federal antitrust enforcement against meatpacking consolidation should be increased. | — | ||
Criminal Justice The federal government should send more money to local police departments. | — | ||
Education Parents should be able to use public funds — through vouchers — to send their kids to private or charter schools. | — | ||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should keep sending military aid to Ukraine. | — | ||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | ||
Healthcare States, not the federal government, should decide who gets Medicaid and what it covers. | — | ||
Healthcare Enhanced ACA premium subsidies should be made permanent at expanded levels. | — | ||
Housing The government should spend more building affordable housing. | — | ||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||
Governance & Other Voters should be required to show photo ID, with the same rule in every state. | — | ||
Social Security High earners should pay Social Security taxes on more of their income. | — | ||
Social Security Workers should be able to invest part of their Social Security in the stock market. | — | ||
Taxes Corporate taxes should be lower. | — | ||
Trade U.S. trade policy should reduce economic interdependence with China, especially on technology and critical minerals. | — | ||
Trade Congress should pursue new bilateral free-trade agreements with U.S. allies. | — | ||
Veterans The VA should cover more veterans and more health conditions. | — | ||
Veterans Federal support for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic environments should be expanded. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Derek Merrin
- Leadership barnstorming continues ahead of midterm electionsOrlando SentinelOct 19
- Leadership barnstorming continues ahead of midterm electionsThe Virginian-PilotOct 19
- Jeffries likes Democrats' chances in race for the House as he campaigns in OhioNewsdayOct 19
- Leadership barnstorming continues ahead of midterm electionsRoll CallOct 19
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.