**Marcy Kaptur Secures Narrow Victory in Ohio Congressional Race**

Veteran congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has successfully retained her seat in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District after a tightly contested race against Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Derek Merrin. Merrin, who conceded defeat in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), acknowledged the intense battle and hinted at a possible future run for the seat.

Merrin, a fourth-term state representative, called Kaptur to concede after the race results showed a lead of about 2,300 votes—or 0.7%—in her favor. This margin narrowly circumvented a mandatory recount, which would have been triggered if the difference had been 0.5% or less. Libertarian candidate Tom Pruss also played a notable role in the election, garnering over 4% of the vote with the support of more than $400,000 from the pro-Democrat Voter Protection Project.

Reflecting on the race, Merrin highlighted the significant financial stakes involved, pointing out that over $10 million was spent against his campaign. He attributed part of his loss to the strategic inclusion of a third-party candidate, which he believed diverted votes from his side.

“Guys, they spent over $10 million against us. Democrats propped up a third party candidate to siphon votes from us, they hit us hard for almost 100 days in the media, and, that’s life, man, that’s politics," Merrin said. He acknowledged that they had sufficient funds to communicate their message and that external groups scrutinized Kaptur’s record, leading to what he deemed a fair fight. Ultimately, Kaptur emerged with more votes, a result Merrin accepted.

With his term in the state Legislature coming to an end due to term limits, Merrin has expressed his commitment to assisting other successful GOP candidates in the state. This includes newly elected President Donald Trump, who secured Ohio for the third consecutive time on November 5, and Bernie Moreno, who defeated longtime Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.

“We stood up for our Constitution, we fought for lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, set a vision out for more prosperity in northwest Ohio and we weren’t able to win,” Merrin said. “But our message and team across America won.”