Toledo, Ohio: Marcy Kaptur Wins a 23rd Term, Beating Derek Merrin in the 9th District

Marcy Kaptur has won a 23rd term in Congress. The Associated Press called Ohio's 9th District for the Toledo Democrat early on Wednesday, November 4, and Decision Desk HQ marked the race decided at 2:42 a.m. Eastern time. Kaptur beat Republican Derek Merrin in a rematch Republicans had targeted as a top chance to flip a Democratic seat.

In the AP count, Kaptur had 159,306 votes to Merrin's 142,830, with 552 of 564 precincts reporting, which is 97.87 percent, and an estimated 98 percent of the vote counted. Decision Desk HQ put the shares at 52.73 percent for Kaptur and 47.27 percent for Merrin in a tally updated at 2:53 a.m. Eastern time. The Wall Street Journal reported the same split, 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent, with 97 percent of the vote reported. The results are unofficial until they are certified by the Ohio Secretary of State.

A long wait in Lucas County

Results came in slowly, and Lucas County was the reason. At 12:30 a.m. on November 4, the Ohio Secretary of State website listed Lucas County as the only county in Ohio that had not reported a single set of results. At the county Democratic watch party after midnight, Kaptur said officials had received absentee ballots late, counted them once and were counting them again.

"This election is about the next generation," Kaptur told an Election Night rally in Lucas County, before the crowd chanted her name. She also said: "Turnout in Lucas County is the best it has been in 28 years. This is an abuse of free elections that the law requires." She blamed Secretary of State Frank LaRose for the delay. The Blade reported that legislators had removed a four-day grace period for mail ballots and LaRose ordered all valid absentee ballots returned by Election Day, so officials counted those ballots first.

A rematch, and a different turnout

This was the second Kaptur and Merrin race for the district. In 2024, Kaptur beat Merrin, a former Republican state representative, by fewer than 2,400 votes, according to Ohio Secretary of State results. The district voted for President Trump in all three elections he ran in, was redrawn for 2022 and again for this year, and Republicans targeted the seat as a possible pickup, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Turnout told part of the story. In the reliably Republican counties of northwest Ohio, turnout was down in 2026, in some cases by nearly 15 percent, compared with 2024, according to the Ohio Secretary of State website and area election boards. In Defiance, Erie and Ottawa counties, 2024 turnout was 72, 74 and 79 percent. Unofficial 2026 results in the same counties show turnout between 60 and 65 percent.

The longest-serving woman in Congress

Kaptur was first elected in 1982 and in January 2023 became the longest-serving woman in congressional history. A Toledo native, she serves on the House Appropriations and Budget committees, with assignments including defense, agriculture, and energy and water development, according to the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Her 2026 campaign focused on affordability, health security, political corruption, jobs, safety and preserving Lake Erie, according to her campaign website.

NBC News and CNN also projected Kaptur the winner, USA Today reported at 3:29 a.m. Eastern time on November 4. She returns to Washington in January.