5 Republican candidates seek to oppose Kaptur

COLUMBUS — If you're a Republican voter picking a candidate to oppose U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in November, you can't complain you don't have any choices. The five GOP candidates in the Ninth District U.S. House race include the former deputy director of ICE, a current state representative, a former state representative, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve and even a "dark horse" candidate from Erie County. The winner of the May 5 primary will oppose Kaptur in the general election. As with the 2024 election, there also will be a Libertarian candidate; Libertarians have a primary in the race, too, matching David Gedert, also known as the drag queen performer Sugar Vermonte, against Matt Althaus. Kaptur's Ninth District was redrawn again to make it more Republican, but she has won every race for decades and the current environment of midterm elections is believed to be trending Democratic. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a "tossup" between Kaptur and the Republican candidate, so the race is part of the national battle for control of the U.S. House. Here's a look at the five Republican candidates who want to run against Kaptur: Madison Sheahan Sheahan is the former deputy director of ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She resigned the post to jump into the race for Congress. Speaking at the Lincoln Day dinner local Republican parties held on April 7 at Kalahari, Sheahan, 29, noted that she grew up on a family farm in Ottawa County, in Curtice. She told the crowd that she is emphasizing three issues. One will be to keep men out of women's sports, said Sheahan, who was a member of the women's rowing team at The Ohio State University that won two Big Ten titles. Second, Sheahan said she will work to fix the American Dream in the Ninth District, working to lower taxes and improve economic opportunity. Third, Sheahan said, "we are going to secure our border." It's important to "get up every day and enforce the law as it's written," she said. Josh Williams Williams, a Republican state representative from Sylvania Township, also spoke at the Lincoln Day dinner, and argued that he's the most electable Republican in the race. "I'm the only candidate who is married, raised a kid, owns a home and has lived in this district my entire life," Williams said. Williams said that as a Black candidate who was raised in poverty in the inner city of Toledo, he is the candidate best able to pick up votes from the Democratic Party's base. He said he and his wife have family members in the inner city of Toledo and said visitors can see his campaign signs there. Williams invited the audience to look at his track record, noting that he has introduced more than 100 pieces of legislation in the Ohio General Assembly. Derek Merrin Merrin, 40, a former state representative who lives in Monclova Township. He was the Republican nominee in 2024 but narrowly lost to Kaptur. There was also a Libertarian candidate in the race, Tom Pruss, and Merrin blamed his 2024 loss on votes that he said he lost to Pruss. Merrin told the Register he is the most conservative candidate in the race and also the most experienced. "I have a proven record for being a true conservative and delivering results," said Merrin, who said he will work to defend Constitutional rights, work with President Trump and work to lower the cost of living. He also promised to make Erie County a "high priority." Merrin said he held Kaptur to under 50 percent of the vote in 2024 but lost because of the Libertarian in the race. "We're definitely stronger. This time we're going to have more resources," he said. Alea Nadeem Nadeem, 42, is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. Born in Toledo, she was taken to Iraq by her father when she was eight, an incident she describes as a kidnapping, and was returned to Toledo at age 11, with the help of the FBI and efforts by her mother. She enlisted in the Air Force after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Nadeem explained she enlisted because she felt compelled to give back. "My love for this country is pretty deep," she said. "I could not be more grateful to live under this flag." Nadeem said her top issues include Ohio's loss of manufacturing jobs, the fentanyl drug epidemic and the huge national debt. She said that as an outsider who isn't a career politician, she is the candidate most likely to appeal to independents and Democrats and flip the seat into Republican hands. Anthony Campbell The primary also includes a local candidate. Campbell, 34, a Groton Township resident, works in the healthcare industry and is making his first run for public office. In an interview with the Register earlier this year, Campbell said he is running as someone who has real-life experience and is not a politician, "The other candidates in the race have been doing this for years," he said. He said his three main issues will be affordability, building local businesses and putting local communities first. Campbell apparently is not well-known to local Republican officials. Caleb Stidham, chairman of the Erie County Republican Party, said he does not believe he has met Campbell.