Former ICE official loses GOP primary in key battleground district Republicans are hoping to flip
Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan finished third in her Ohio Republican congressional primary Tuesday night, handing ICE critics a talking point but leaving Republican officials convinced...
By Fox News · Fox News
Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan finished third in her Ohio Republican congressional primary Tuesday night, handing ICE critics a talking point but leaving Republican officials convinced they have the right candidate to flip a battleground seat. Sheahan’s loss to former state Rep. Derek Merrin brings relief to Republicans concerned about her electability against Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. Kaptur is the longest-serving woman in congressional history and a top National Republican Congressional Committee target in the midterms as a potential seat to flip in the battle for the narrow House majority. The House is currently 218-212, with five vacancies and one independent who caucuses with the GOP. "40-year career politician Marcy Kaptur has failed Ohioans for decades and Northwest Ohioans are ready for change," NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News on Wednesday morning. ICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR RESIGNS FROM AGENCY TO RUN FOR CONGRESS "While Kaptur has pushed a radical far-left agenda of higher taxes , open borders, and sex change surgeries for kids, Derek Merrin is set to flip the seat red in order to deliver commonsense leadership and real results." Merrin won 44.1% of the vote, according to the latest Associated Press election results, with state Rep. Josh Williams second (24.3%) and Sheahan third (20.2%). The northwest Ohio 9th Congressional District has been identified as one of the Republicans' best pickup opportunities of the midterms. Merrin’s win sets up a rematch with Kaptur, who has represented the Toledo-area seat since 1983 and eked out a 2024 victory by just 0.64%, losing by just 2,382 votes. Trump carried the district by 7 points in 2024 and Kaptur’s narrow reelection margin last cycle makes the seat especially vulnerable. AIR FORCE VETERAN JUMPS INTO KEY HOUSE RACE TO UNSEAT 22-TERM VULNERABLE DEM: 'TIME TO PASS THE TORCH' Sheahan, 29, entered the race after leaving her post as deputy director of ICE in January, lea…