COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democrats won a key congressional seat and were defending two others in tight races in Ohio.
Twenty-one-term U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in House history, claimed victory over state Rep. Derek Merrin early Wednesday, but the race was too close for The Associated Press to call. Kaptur faced the Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the closely divided 9th Congressional District that includes Toledo.
First-term Democrat Greg Landsman won reelection in Cincinnati, defending a pickup he made in 2022 under congressional maps newly drawn by Republicans. Fellow freshman Emilia Sykes of Akron was also defending her pickup, but that race was too close to call early Wednesday.
Ohio’s congressional map was allowed to go forward in 2022 despite being declared unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor the GOP. The Ohio Supreme Court cleared the district boundaries to stay in place for 2024 as part of a court settlement.
Kaptur’s reelection bid was too close for The Associated Press to call early Wednesday, but she claimed victory as she led Merrin by a narrow margin with most of the votes counted.
“I am inspired by the hardworking people across our district who fuel our economy every day and pledge to continue our work to grow jobs here at home, strengthen our manufacturing sector, and ensure dignity and stability for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules,” she said in a statement. “There is so much left to accomplish in our next term. Our best days lie ahead of us. It is time to put partisanship aside and get back to work for America’s ‘Big Middle.’”
Kaptur, 78, entered the 2024 election cycle as among the year’s most vulnerable congressional incumbents, placing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the middle of a more than $5 million campaign battle. Merrin, 38, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
He drew statewide attention in 2023 when he aligned a GOP faction against House Speaker Jason Stephens after Merrin failed to win the speakership. The infighting, which continues, has risen to the level of litigation and contributed to an historic lack of legislative action this session.
During the House campaign, Merrin and his Republican allies targeted Kaptur on immigration and the economy. Democrats targeted Merrin on his support for abortion restrictions, including his work on a bill that would have made certain abortions felonies.
Landsman won reelection Tuesday in a closely divided southwestern Ohio district that Republicans had hoped to reclaim.
The result marked only the third time a Democrat has won Ohio’s 1st Congressional District since 1994. Landsman, 43, a former Cincinnati City Council member, won his first term in 2022, when he defeated 13-term Republican Rep. Steve Chabot.
Landsman, who is Jewish, drew attention late in the campaign when a group of pro-Palestine protesters set up an encampment outside his house. He decried the demonstration as harassment and said that it required him and his family members to get a police escort to enter and exit their Cincinnati home.
Landsman defeated Republican Orlando Sonza, a West Point graduate and former Army infantry officer who leads the county veterans services office. Sonza was endorsed by Republican Sen. JD Vance, the vice presidential nominee, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine and other top Ohio Republicans.
Sykes, 38, faced Republican Kevin Coughlin, a former state representative and senator, in a race that was too close for The Associated Press to call early Wednesday, though she claimed victory with a slim lead.
Sykes spent eight years in the Ohio House, including as minority leader, before her first successful bid for the 13th District in 2022. She enjoys strong name recognition in her native Akron, which her mother and father have both represented at the Ohio Statehouse.
Sykes has campaigned on a message of unity as she sought to attract votes from Democrats, Republicans and independents and has made ample use of social media.
Coughlin, 54, has run as a moderate who would honor Ohio’s recently passed abortion rights amendment. He was supported by Johnson and Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan. Trump did not endorse anyone in the race.
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