Marcy Kaptur Faces Her Toughest Race Yet After Ohio’s Republican Redistricting

Rep. Marcy Kaptur has won in competitive elections in Ohio since 1982. This one may be her toughest yet.

The 22-term lawmaker — the longest-serving woman in House history — is facing a new map this year thanks to Republican-led redistricting last fall. Ohio’s 9th Congressional District is now markedly more conservative, and Republicans are eager to flip the seat.

The district, sometimes called the “snake by the lake” given its long and thin borders along Lake Erie, now extends significantly further south intoNorthwest Ohio.

“We are going to have to do a lot of work to introduce her and meet those voters and learn what their priorities are,” a campaign strategist told NOTUS about the new areas in Kaptur’s district, requesting anonymity to speak freely about campaign strategy.

Kaptur won by less than 3,000 votes in 2024, under the previous map. Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown won the district by a point in a losing effort against now-Sen. Bernie Moreno.

President Donald Trump won Ohio’s 9th Congressional District by 7 points in 2024, and Republicans see Kaptur’s last slim margin of victory as a clear opportunity. The seat is one of three Democratic held seats in Ohio that the National Republican Congressional Committee has targeted, along with those held by Reps. Emilia Sykes and Greg Landsman.

“Among all members of Congress, none represent a district that favors the opposite party as much as the new OH-09 in terms of presidential margin, with President Trump winning the seat by over 10 points,” the NRCC highlighted in a document outlining targeted districts in the Buckeye State.

Seven Republicans are vying for the nomination to go against Kaptur, including Madison Sheahan, the former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Republicans are poised to flip OH-09 red and retire out of touch, career politician Marcy Kaptur. Kaptur should go ahead and start cleaning out her office now,” NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon said in a statement.

Kaptur’s strategy this year is to focus on old-fashioned campaigning, her strategist said: knocking on doors and highlighting projects from her time on the Appropriations Committee back to her district.

“Marcy Kaptur’s record of delivering for Northwest Ohio is unmatched – that’s why she keeps winning tough race after tough race, and this year is no different,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Riya Vashi said in a statement. “No matter which corporate lap-dog makes it out of the chaotic and nasty Republican primary, Marcy will win because Ohioans know she fights for them.”

Kaptur raised $1.6 million in 2025 and sits on $1.7 million in cash on hand going into the midterm year. Her campaign believes the move back to local organizing nationally is a perfect match for an established candidate more interested in talking at the local diner rather than spending time on TV, the strategist said.

“I think that people here, by and large, don’t want to think about politics all the time. 
They don’t want a flashy, always in the news representative,” the strategist said.

Democrats are touting a grassroots strategy across the state. The Democratic National Committee launched a program last week to reach infrequent voters in key districts, with a “listening first” approach. The DNC confirmed that Kaptur’s district is part of the program.

Democrats and the Kaptur campaign are also hopeful that Brown’s decision to run for Senate again, this time against Sen. Jon Husted, will bring out Democratic voters focused on economic issues.

“It’s very genuine for her to be able to talk about addressing voter concerns about affordability,” the strategist said. I think that’s going to resonate in the parts of the district that voted more heavily for Trump.”