Latest news with #Kaptur
The Hill
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
GOP eyes redistricting in Ohio and Texas as it looks to bolster slim majority
Republicans are eyeing potential redistricting opportunities in Ohio and Texas as they seek extra cushion to protect their thin majority in the House next year. In Ohio, redistricting laws mandate a redraw ahead of 2026 because the last map passed without bipartisan support. And in Texas, redistricting could be added to an upcoming special session agenda as the White House reportedly pushes the Lone Star State to consider redrawing to protect the party's numbers. Defending a narrow 220-212 majority, Republicans are bracing for a competitive election cycle as they look to defy traditional headwinds typically associated with the president's party in midterm years. 'I think the Speaker and party leadership look at even a handful of districts as really important, particularly if the natural trend — given the president's popularity at this point and given historic midterm conditions — means that the Republican Party starts out assuming they're going to lose a couple districts right off the bat,' said Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University who founded the database 'All About Redistricting.' 'Ohio is going to have to redraw, one way or the other. Texas is mulling whether to redraw. And there are a lot of competing pressures.' Each state redraws its maps once a decade, after the U.S. Census. But in Ohio, the lines used for the last four years are up for a redraw under a wonky state law that effectively sped up the expiration date because they didn't earn bipartisan support. Should Republicans decide to make the maps more competitive, Ohio Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Emilia Sykes, who represent Ohio's 9th and 13th Congressional Districts respectively, would likely be impacted. President Trump won Kaptur's district, which includes Toledo, by close to 7 points, while Sykes's seat, which includes Akron, was essentially tied by Trump and former Vice President Harris in 2024, according to The Downballot. Both are already competitive for Democrats, though both Kaptur and Sykes have been strong candidates despite the political terrain. 'It's no surprise that special interests in Washington and Columbus want to ignore the voters and rig the game,' Sykes campaign spokesman Justin Barasky said in a statement. Kaptur campaign political director David Zavac projected confidence over the congresswoman's election next year, while also pointing out that the state will have seen three different maps this decade alone. 'The Congresswoman looks forward to a spirited campaign next year,' Zavac said in a statement, 'but will let the GOP focus on what will surely be another messy primary ahead once they finish their illegal gerrymandering process to try and rig the maps further in their favor.' The Ohio Constitution lays out detailed rules for drawing House districts , meaning that only certain counties and cities can be divided, some of that based on population stipulations. Ahead of the required 2025 redistricting, Democrats had sought to pass an amendment to the state Constitution last year that would have reformed the redistricting process in the state, giving the party a better chance of making seats more competitive between the parties. But voters rejected the ballot measure amid confusion over the amendment language; the Ohio Ballot Board approved language that said the amendment would 'repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering' when its supporters said the initiative stated it would do the opposite. While the redistricting process offers Republicans a unique opportunity to reconfigure better maps for its House members, it's not without its own perils. 'I do think the best pressure that could force them to do some things that are more reasonable would be Republicans in nearby districts saying, 'Don't carve up our districts, we like our [districts], we don't want them to change,'' said former state Democratic Party Chair David Pepper. In Texas, where there are no specific timing rules for re-making maps, state lawmakers are reportedly under pressure from the White House and national Republicans to consider making mid-decade changes that could help shore up GOP numbers. The state legislature just gaveled out their latest regular session, with the next not slated until 2027. But amid the chatter about redistricting, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called a special session to kick off July 21. Though redistricting isn't among the governor's official 'initial agenda' items, there's still time for the matter to be added to the docket or included in a future special session. 'The Republicans in Congress are looking at a very, very narrow majority, and they're looking for every opportunity around the country to increase that majority with things like redistricting [and] the election. They're gonna use every tool at their disposal to do that,' said Texas Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser. 'Texas is a very red state, so if they can pick up two seats or three seats, then they might give it a try. And even if it makes a seat in a very deep red state a little more competitive, so be it. I think that's some of the thinking,' he said. One Republican strategist who requested anonymity to speak candidly told The Hill that the party will be on 'offense' regardless of how either state's map shakes out ahead of 2026. A second GOP strategist pointed out that there's more Democrats – 13 – that won in Trump districts, while there's only three Republicans hailing from districts won by former Vice President Harris in 2024 overall. 'The numbers are in our favor,' the GOP strategist said. 'It's a game of inches right now.' If Republicans do decide to redraw lines in Texas, it could blunt challenges to the maps that Texas drew after the 2020 census, including an ongoing trial in El Paso in which voter advocates allege that the maps discriminate against some Black and Latino voters. The 2021 maps were already seen as shoring up Republican power in the Lone Star State, but proponents of redistricting reportedly think the GOP's 25-12 congressional edge could expand by several seats. The situation has given some lawmakers a sense of deja vu. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) was among the more than 50 state lawmakers who fled Texas for Oklahoma to deny Republicans a quorum in 2003 as the GOP revisited drawing the state's congressional lines. Texas Republicans, however, were ultimately successful at redrawing favorable lines for their party. 'It's just a total partisan power grab that's gonna completely mess with representation in Texas,' Castro, who was a freshman during the 2003 walkout, told The Hill last month. 'And I hope that cooler minds will prevail, and they'll do redistricting when they're supposed to, which is after the end of the decade.' Another layer of uncertainty is how the courts could weigh in on potential redistricting challenges. Both Texas and Ohio have conservative majorities on the state Supreme Courts, but legal challenges over redistricting from other states have been brought up to the U.S. Supreme Court. While the high court, too, has a conservative majority, it notably struck down Alabama's maps in 2023, saying they likely violated the Voting Rights Act. But while shifting voters from solidly red districts to bluer ones could make Democratic-held seats more competitive, it could similarly blunt the edge of some now-safe GOP seats. The House Democrats' campaign suggested in a statement that the predicament is a lose-lose situation for Republicans. 'House Republicans are running scared because they know they will lose the House majority next November, and their only solutions are corrupt attempts to suppress battleground voters' voices,' Madison Andrus, a spokeswoman for the House Democrats' campaign arm, said in a statement. 'Any changes they try to make to existing maps may endanger existing Republican-held seats,' she continued, 'and in an environment where the public is wildly unhappy with the Republican agenda of broken promises, they should be careful what they wish for.' Ahead of the midterms, though, that might be a risk some are willing to take to put more districts in play for Republicans. 'Republican redistricting was key to flipping the House in 2022, preserving the majority in 2024, and can help defend it again in 2026,' said Adam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 Ohio Republicans launch bids to unseat Kaptur
Two Ohio Republicans announced campaigns on Monday to challenge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur from her battleground district seat, setting up a crowded primary in a race Republicans are targeting. Former state Rep. Derek Merrin is seeking a rematch after winning the GOP nomination in the Toledo-area district but narrowly losing to Kaptur in 2024. State Rep. Josh Williams, the first Black majority whip in the Ohio legislature, also launched his campaign on Monday. They join Alea Nadeem, an Air Force veteran who filed to run last week, in a primary battle to unseat Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congressional history. Kaptur, 79, was first elected to Congress in 1982 and has served for over 42 years. Republicans are hoping to flip the northwest Ohio district to capitalize on the broader statewide trend favoring Republicans. Last year, Merrin lost by less than 1 percent to Kaptur, who outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 7 percent. In 2022, Kaptur defeated J.R. Majewski, the controversial Trump ally who reportedly lied about serving in combat in Afghanistan. Ahead of last year's election, Republicans mounted an aggressive effort to block him from winning the nomination again. Republicans may gain an advantage in the district through Ohio's redistricting process, which mandates the legislature redraw Congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. Ohio Republicans have indicated they will seek to redraw Kaptur's district to lean more in their favor. Merrin, 39, served in Ohio's legislature for eight years before leaving to run for Congress, and promised to make up for his close defeat last year. 'I'm officially running for Congress in Ohio's 9th District — and this time, we're going to FINISH THE MISSION,' he wrote in a post on X. Williams, 41, was elected to the state legislature in 2022. He dropped out of high school at 18 due to homelessness and was disabled for six years after an injury to his spine before earning a law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. In an interview with a local Toledo radio station, Williams highlighted Kaptur's age and extensive tenure as a reason to push her out of office. 'She's been in Congress longer than I've been alive, and every bad thing you've read about me happened under her leadership,' he said. 'It's time for her to go.' Katie Smith, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, conveyed confidence that Kaptur will retain her seat in a statement to POLITICO. "The clown car of a Republican primary has already devolved into infighting and backstabbing – and no matter which corporate lap-dog who wants to gut Medicaid and Social Security comes out the other end, Marcy will defeat their special interest agenda again because Ohioans know she fights for them," Smith said.
Politico
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Two Ohio Republicans launch bids to unseat Kaptur
Two Ohio Republicans announced campaigns on Monday to challenge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur from her battleground district seat, setting up a crowded primary in a race Republicans are targeting. Former state Rep. Derek Merrin is seeking a rematch after winning the GOP nomination in the Toledo-area district but narrowly losing to Kaptur in 2024. State Rep. Josh Williams, the first Black majority whip in the Ohio legislature, also launched his campaign on Monday. They join Alea Nadeem, an Air Force veteran who filed to run last week, in a primary battle to unseat Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congressional history. Kaptur, 79, was first elected to Congress in 1982 and has served for over 42 years. Republicans are hoping to flip the northwest Ohio district to capitalize on the broader statewide trend favoring Republicans. Last year, Merrin lost by less than 1 percent to Kaptur, who outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 7 percent. In 2022, Kaptur defeated J.R. Majewski, the controversial Trump ally who reportedly lied about serving in combat in Afghanistan. Ahead of last year's election, Republicans mounted an aggressive effort to block him from winning the nomination again. Republicans may gain an advantage in the district through Ohio's redistricting process, which mandates the legislature redraw Congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. Ohio Republicans have indicated they will seek to redraw Kaptur's district to lean more in their favor. Merrin, 39, served in Ohio's legislature for eight years before leaving to run for Congress, and promised to make up for his close defeat last year. 'I'm officially running for Congress in Ohio's 9th District — and this time, we're going to FINISH THE MISSION,' he wrote in a post on X. Williams, 41, was elected to the state legislature in 2022. He dropped out of high school at 18 due to homelessness and was disabled for six years after an injury to his spine before earning a law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law. In an interview with a local Toledo radio station, Williams highlighted Kaptur's age and extensive tenure as a reason to push her out of office. 'She's been in Congress longer than I've been alive, and every bad thing you've read about me happened under her leadership,' he said. 'It's time for her to go.'
Winnipeg Free Press
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Republican Derek Merrin launches bid for rematch against Rep. Marcy Kaptur
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A potential rematch for one of the nation's most hotly contested House seats, representing Ohio's 9th Congressional District, could be in the works for 2026. That's after Republican Derek Merrin, a former four-term Republican state representative, announced Monday that he plans to try again to defeat Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress. Merrin, 39, launched his latest campaign on X, vowing that 'this time, we're going to FINISH THE MISSION.' He won the chaotic 2024 Republican primary with the help of Donald Trump's endorsement before losing to Kaptur, 79, by fewer than 2,400 votes. 'I'll fight for the America First agenda, strengthen the border, cut taxes, protect our freedoms — and give Northwest Ohio the bold, conservative leadership it deserves,' he wrote. Merrin is the third candidate to join the Republican primary in the past few days. Toledo native Alea Nadeem is a self-described 'independent-minded conservative,' military veteran and Air National Guard officer from a union family. Wayne Kinsel is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, as well as director of Voodoo Brewing Company in Toledo. Merrin left Columbus in December due to term limits. He made a splash at the Ohio Statehouse when he led an intraparty rebellion in the House after losing a bitter battle for speaker. Katie Smith, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that Kaptur will run on her record of fighting for the working people of northwest Ohio. 'The clown car of a Republican primary has already devolved into infighting and backstabbing,' she said, 'and no matter which corporate lapdog who wants to gut Medicaid and Social Security comes out the other end, Marcy will defeat their special interest agenda again because Ohioans know she fights for them.' Kaptur's is one of three congressional seats in Ohio targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee next year. The GOP also hopes to defeat Reps. Emilia Sykes in Akron and Greg Landsman in Cincinnati.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
While Republicans shred the First Amendment and rule of law, Democrats in Ohio and elsewhere dawdle
Stock photo from Getty Images. A year and a half before the midterm elections, Ohio Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur is being slammed in right-wing attack ads running on targeted streaming services in the state. The flatly misleading ads are part of a nationwide campaign produced by a dark money group (backed by Big Pharma and linked to a Republican super PAC) dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. House. American Action Network launched its $7 million advertising campaign across 30 congressional districts in the country with two separate ad versions. One aims to convince (fool?) voters in red districts that Republicans aren't coming for their health care and food stamps — when they are — and the other attempts to shift the focus from the hundreds of billions House Republicans just voted to cut from Medicaid to an item not yet on the GOP chopping block. U.S. House Republican cuts to Medicaid, food assistance would impact hundreds of thousands in Ohio The conservative nonprofit pivoted to Medicare to go after vulnerable House Democrats with identical attack ads airing through the first week of June. They all feature an older blond woman lambasting — fill in (Marcy Kaptur) the name — for threatening Medicare and for 'crippling the development of lifesaving drugs for cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.' The 9th District congresswoman is derided for 'playing politics with our Medicare and medicine.' The twisted narrative is obviously designed to deflect from the GOP tax cut agenda to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor and damage susceptible Democratic representatives ahead of next year's midterms. For the record, Kaptur voted against the GOP's continuing resolution in March that funded the government through September — which the ad framed as voting against Medicare. Like most Democrats, she did so because the stopgap spending bill did nothing to check the Trump administration's lawless withholding of congressionally appropriated funds. The Toledo Democrat also supported the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that included measures to lower prescription drug costs opposed by Big Pharma — which the ad frames as disincentive to develop breakthrough drugs. Gross distortions aside, GOP-affiliated organizations are homing in on defeatable Democratic incumbents to attempt to grow the narrow Republican majority in the House in 2026. The fact that they're doing it so early in the election cycle speaks volumes about the perceived weakness of not only Kaptur but the Democratic Party writ large in Ohio and the country. Kaptur, who will be 79 next month, has represented Ohio's 9th congressional district in the northwestern quadrant of the state for 42 years. She is the longest-serving woman in the U.S. House and broadly respected for that commitment back home. But Kaptur barely hung onto her seat last November, winning by less than 1% against a young hardliner notable for pitching a tantrum as a crybaby state rep. To be fair, the congresswoman has been uniquely challenged by the gerrymandered contortions Ohio Statehouse Republicans forced her to accommodate, including the egregious 'Snake on the Lake' rendition that absurdly snaked the district between Toledo and Cleveland. But besides unconstitutional redistricting, Kaptur faces strong headwinds as a member of the Democratic gerontocracy that exceedingly frustrates rank and file Democrats for utterly failing to meet this moment of existential terror. Only one major political party in America remains faithful to the founding principles of the republic but it is on habitual disconnect. Meanwhile, freedom of speech, assembly, and due process are being shredded in real time by the felon-in-chief as Republicans on Capitol Hill do nothing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Yet, with few exceptions, the opposition party isn't doing much either while the jaw-dropping corruption, intentional chaos, and abject cruelty of the Trump administration mocks the rule of law. There is no sense of urgency to course correct among play-by-the-books, protocol-loving Democrats in Congress. There is no sense that the same old losing strategies and recycled candidates that keep popping up — and relegating federal and state Democrats to legislative minorities — need to be ditched ASAP. A changing of the guard is imminent in the Ohio Democratic Party, but there is no sense that internal horse-trading will be guided by the growing army of angry and alarmed voters screaming for effective, fearless leadership now to fight every day/all day for government of, by, and for the people. A year from now will be too late. A revitalizing force of risk-takers with a solid bench is long overdue. In 2024, Ohio Democrats played it safe, unwisely distancing themselves from a Democratic presidential ticket packing venues that could have driven up voter turnout in traditionally Democratic urban counties. Instead, those metro areas recorded the state's biggest drops in turnout. Will the party rerun predictable candidates in 2026 for U.S. Senate or governor in Ohio to again play it safe and scramble to find warm bodies to run in other statewide races while legislative races go unchallenged? Probably. But maybe a gutsy Gen Zer or impatient millennial will rise up at this most critical juncture to preserve self-governance and confront tyranny head on with the energy and passion and resolve of past generations of Americans who carried the torch forward. Maybe Democrats still talking and acting like politicians afraid to make waves will finally wake up. Maybe the septuagenarian incumbent in Ohio's 9th will decide to go hard or go home. Reticence only invites dark money attack ads. A full year and a half before the midterms. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
