{"id":2599255,"date":"2026-05-05T22:25:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T02:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/derek-merrin-wins-competitive-gop-primary-to-take-on-marcy-kaptur\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T22:25:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T02:25:45","slug":"derek-merrin-wins-competitive-gop-primary-to-take-on-marcy-kaptur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/derek-merrin-wins-competitive-gop-primary-to-take-on-marcy-kaptur\/","title":{"rendered":"Derek Merrin wins competitive GOP primary to take on Marcy Kaptur"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><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%2Fderek-merrin-wins-competitive-gop-primary-to-take-on-marcy-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=2599255&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>Former Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin won the Republican nomination Tuesday to challenge long-tenured Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur again in November, in a district that became more Republican after Ohio\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-redistricting-lawsuit-could-cost-congressional-republicans-up-to-six-house-seats\/\" title=\"NY Re...ing Lawsuit May Result in GOP Losing Six House Seats\">mid-decade redistricting<\/a>.In 2024, Kaptur narrowly defeated Merrin, even as President Donald Trump won the district, but Democrats are betting 2026 will favor them more.<\/p>\n<p>Merrin previously lost to Kaptur by just over 2,000 votes and now faces Kaptur-who has served in Congress since 1982-in what the Cook Political Report rates as a \u201ctoss up.\u201d The primary featured a tight race among Merrin,fellow GOP state rep.Josh williams, and newcomer Madison Sheahan, with Merrin benefiting from higher name recognition. Merrin has also faced criticism over connections to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-analyst-boy-these-hunter-biden-scandals-sure-do-seem-damning-after-all\/\" title=\"CNN Analyst: Boy, These Hunter Biden Scandals Sure Do Seem Damning After All\">consulting firm tied<\/a> to efforts to resurface Williams\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >older social media posts<\/a>.  <\/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>Former Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin secured the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"926\">Republican<\/a> nomination Tuesday night to take on Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) for a second time in hopes to unseat the longtime <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrat\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"475\">Democrat<\/a> in a red seat. <\/p>\n<p>Merrin will face Kaptur, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/allegations-ice-and-old-posts-dog-gop-efforts-to-oust-kaptur\/\" title=\"Allegations, ICE, and old posts dog GOP efforts to oust ...\">longest tenured woman<\/a> in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a>, in the November election. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\">Ohio<\/a> legislature made the seat more Republican in a mid-decade <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"241\">redistricting<\/a> passed last year. Kaptur\u2019s seat went from having voted for President Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in 2024 to 11 percentage points in a new map drawn 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\/congressional\/4556137\/ohio-senate-race-set-sherrod-brown-jon-husted\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ohio Senate race set with Sherrod Brown comeback bid against Jon Husted<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4556389\/gop-democrats-gerrymander-targets-supreme-court-ruling\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Red or blue? GOP and Democrats eye next gerrymander targets after Supreme Court ruling<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4555932\/daniel-cameron-threads-needle-kentucky-senate-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Daniel Cameron threads needle in Kentucky Senate primary after Trump backs GOP rival<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\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 in 2026, when the environment is likely much friendlier.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>GOP primary polling showed a tight contest between Merrin, Republican state Rep. Josh Williams, and political newcomer Madison Sheahan. Until January, Sheahan was deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Merrin had the highest name recognition of the three after being the 2024 Republican nominee. <\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4555400\/vance-vote-in-person-ohio-primary-2026\/\"><strong>VANCE VOTES IN PERSON IN 2026 OHIO PRIMARY AFTER TRUMP\u2019S MAIL-IN BLOWBACK<\/strong><\/a><\/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 prior Facebook posts and memes, some of which were sexual in nature, between 2018 and 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The nonpartisan <em>Cook Political Report<\/em> has rated the new district as a \u201ctoss up,\u201d as Kaptur has demonstrated considerable political endurance. Kaptur, 79, was first elected to the House in 1982.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Derek Merrin won Ohio\u2019s GOP nod to challenge longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2599256,"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\/2026\/05\/AP24078740593073-e1778031677674.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[79180,32773,58374],"class_list":["post-2599255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-derek-merrin","tag-gop-primary","tag-marcy-kaptur"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24078740593073-e1778031677674.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599255","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=2599255"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599259,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599255\/revisions\/2599259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}