{"id":2598788,"date":"2026-05-05T05:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/allegations-ice-and-old-posts-dog-gop-efforts-to-oust-kaptur\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T05:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:54:27","slug":"allegations-ice-and-old-posts-dog-gop-efforts-to-oust-kaptur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/allegations-ice-and-old-posts-dog-gop-efforts-to-oust-kaptur\/","title":{"rendered":"Allegations, ICE, and old posts dog GOP efforts to oust Kaptur"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fallegations-ice-and-old-posts-dog-gop-efforts-to-oust-kaptur%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598788&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Republicans wont to unseat rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio\u2019s likely-to-be competitive OH-09, a district Trump won by a wide margin, but Democrats believe the GOP nominees are too burdened by controversy to make Kaptur\u2019s seat truly vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>Kaptur,the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-house-democrats-hold-districts-donald-trump-won-in-2020-and-are-running-for-their-political-lives\/\" title=\"Five House ... in ......won districts fight for survival in upcoming elections.\">longest-tenured woman<\/a> in Congress,has held the seat for decades and has survived prior challenges,including redistricting that made the seat more favorable to Republicans.even so, Democrats point to Kaptur\u2019s past ability to win anyway-she narrowly beat Derek Merrin in 2024 despite Trump carrying the district-and argue that 2026\u2019s political habitat might potentially be more favorable for them than 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP primary is expected to feature state Rep. Josh Williams, former state Rep. Derek Merrin, and newcomer Madison Sheahan. Democrats cite \u201cbaggage\u201d across the field: Sheahan is scrutinized over her prior work at ICE under Kristi noem, including controversies related to ICE activity and allegations of sexual misconduct (which she denies). Williams has faced scrutiny over sexual or explicit posts and memes, along with online comments that resurfaced during the primary. Merrin, meanwhile, has been criticized amid efforts by a consulting firm to spotlight Williams\u2019s earlier social media activity.<\/p>\n<p>the article argues that no matter who emerges from the Republican primary, Kaptur remains well positioned to win reelection, with Democrats viewing her as a proven electoral performer who\u2019s defied political trends before.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republicans<\/a> have their sights set on ousting Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) from a seat President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> won by double digits. But they could be unsuccessful yet again, given the baggage of the GOP candidates most likely to be nominated.<\/p>\n<p>Kaptur, the longest tenured woman in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a>, has served for over four decades, despite the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1141\">Ohio<\/a> GOP\u2019s best effort to draw her out via mid-decade redistricting. Kaptur\u2019s seat went from having voted for President Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in 2024 to 11 percentage points in a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/redistricting-battles-heat-up-as-democrats-play-gerrymander-hardball-and-the-house-hangs-in-the-balance\/\" title=\"Redistricting Battles Heat Up as ... Play Gerrymander Hardball and the House Hangs in the Balance\">map drawn<\/a> by the state legislature last year.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4554366\/what-to-know-ohio-2026-primary-election\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>What to know about Ohio primaries as Ramaswamy seeks governor nomination<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4554546\/cassidy-says-governor-backed-trump-rival-by-not-moving-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Cassidy suggests governor boosted Trump-backed rival by not moving Senate primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4554352\/democrats-lawsuit-florida-republican-redistricting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats file lawsuit against Florida\u2019s new GOP-drawn congressional map<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Yet, the wily 79-year-old Democrat could get a lucky break because of the caliber of candidates the GOP is likely to nominate for the general election. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cNo matter who emerges from Republicans\u2019 ugly primary battle tomorrow, we\u2019re not seeing a candidate in that field who can consolidate support or seriously threaten Marcy Kaptur in the general,\u201d a Democratic operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Polling shows a tight contest between Republican state Rep. Josh Williams, former state Rep. Derek Merrin, and political newcomer Madison Sheahan. Until January, Sheahan was deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.<\/p>\n<p>Kaptur beat Merrin in 2024 by just over 2,000 votes, despite Trump carrying the district. The narrow loss in a good year with Trump at the top of the ballot has Democrats confident they can beat Merrin, if he\u2019s the nominee, in 2026, when the environment is likely much friendlier.<\/p>\n<p>Sheahan, meanwhile, is under scrutiny over ties to Noem and her tenure at ICE, which saw federal officers sent to cities across America. Her time at the agency also overlapped with the shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota by an ICE officer. The 29-year-old Sheahan has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-bill-clinton-escaped-metoo\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Bill Clinton Escaped #MeToo\">faced sexual misconduct allegations<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/ice-barbie-kristi-noems-enforcer-madison-sheahan-seduced-teen-girl-who-worked-for-her\/\">reported<\/a> by the <em>Daily Beast<\/em>, which she has denied.<\/p>\n<p>Williams, 41, was first elected to the state legislature in 2022. He\u2019s made a name for himself as a parental rights advocate, even leading an effort to ban drag shows from being performed at venues where minors could be present.<\/p>\n<p>Williams, however, has also come under fire for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/tiffinohio.net\/posts\/ohio-congressional-candidate-josh-williams-explicit-facebook-posts-resurface-in-gop-primary\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/tiffinohio.net\/posts\/ohio-congressional-candidate-josh-williams-explicit-facebook-posts-resurface-in-gop-primary\/\">Facebook posts<\/a> and memes he shared, some of which were sexual in nature, between 2018 and 2022.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf after I nut I still want you to be lying next to me then i know if u a keeper. If I ask you \u2018what you bout to get into?\u2019 Just know we was just f***ing,\u201d Williams wrote in one post.<\/p>\n<p>In recent weeks, Merrin has come under fire for his ties to a consulting firm that is attempting to highlight Williams\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prior social media posts ahead<\/a> of the primary.<\/p>\n<p>The baggage by all three GOP candidates has Democrats giddy that Kaptur, who was first elected in 1982, can win another term. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4551665\/congressional-black-caucus-lose-lose-situation-vra-ruling\/\">CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FACES LOSE-LOSE SITUATION AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cKaptur has proven cycle after cycle she\u2019s a strong, trusted voice for OH-09 \u2014 and, bottom line, an election winner. She\u2019s defied political gravity before \u2014 winning even when Donald Trump carried the district handily in 2024 \u2014 and there\u2019s nothing about this cycle that suggests that\u2019s changing, especially as the national environment continues to move in Democrats\u2019 direction,\u201d the Democratic operative continued.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Kaptur, Sheahan, and Merrin\u2019s campaigns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans aim to unseat Rep. Marcy Kaptur, but GOP candidate baggage may still hurt their chances<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2598791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP24078740711605.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[5609,6203,8364],"class_list":["post-2598788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-allegations","tag-gop","tag-ice"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP24078740711605.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598788"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598793,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598788\/revisions\/2598793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}