Who Can Beat Marcy Kaptur? Ohio's 9th Congressional District GOP Primary Ranked | Ohio 2026 Midterms

Host Radell Lewis breaks down everything you need to know about Ohio's 9th Congressional District heading into the 2026 midterms. After the Ohio Redistricting Commission redrew the map to lean Republican by over 10 points, longtime incumbent Marcy Kaptur the longest-serving woman in congressional history faces her toughest reelection yet. Radell goes candidate by candidate through the crowded GOP primary field: Derek Merrin (Trump-endorsed, 2024 rematch candidate), Madison Sheehan (former ICE deputy director), Anthony Campbell (healthcare executive with the most detailed policy platform), Aaliyah Nadeem (Air Force veteran), and Josh Williams (MAGA-aligned state rep). Who has the best shot at winning the Republican primary? And can any of them actually beat Kaptur in the general election?

Plus, Radell covers critical Ohio political news: the Ohio House voting to ban ranked choice voting statewide, the campaign to repeal Ohio's intoxicating hemp ban before the March deadline, Republican efforts to tie college funding to compliance with higher education overhaul legislation, and the latest from the First Energy bribery trial the biggest corruption case in Ohio history involving former CEO Chuck Jones and the HB-6 scandal that sent former House Speaker Larry Householder to federal prison.

Whether you live in Ohio or want to understand how local politics shapes the national landscape, this episode delivers the research so you don't have to.

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Keywords: Ohio 2026 midterms, Ohio 9th Congressional District, Marcy Kaptur, Derek Merrin, GOP primary Ohio, Ohio redistricting, ranked choice voting Ohio, First Energy bribery trial, Larry Householder, Ohio cannabis repeal, Ohio local politics, MAGA, Ohio gerrymandering, congressional race 2026, STAR voting, Ohio political news

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