Republicans add Derek Merrin to ‘MAGA Majority’ program to unseat Marcy Kaptur

As Republicans look to tighten their hold on the Buckeye State, they’ve added a northwestern Ohio congressional candidate to a nationwide initiative aimed at flipping the map in their favor.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has added Derek Merrin to the 2026 “MAGA Majority” program, formerly known as its Young Guns program. Under the initiative, the NRCC will provide candidates with early support and strategic resources to increase their visibility in districts President Donald Trump won in 2024 but that are held by what Republicans believe are vulnerable Democrats.

Merrin, a Trump-endorsed former state representative from Lucas County who served from 2016 to 2024, is hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has served in Congress since 1983 and faced criticism for taking money from donors who want to “defund the police” and a pro-transgender PAC. Internal NRCC polling from May shows Merrin leading Kaptur, 47%-43%, with only 7% undecided.

“Derek Merrin is a proven leader that has fought for common sense, lower taxes, and conservative values in Ohio,” NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. “Merrin is set to secure victory in November and deliver real progress for Northwest Ohio.”

This year’s showdown in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District is a rematch from two years ago. Merrin, who emerged victorious from a crowded Republican primary, lost to Kaptur two years ago by about 2,400 votes.

“Often when an incumbent member of Congress is under 50% of the vote in the ballot test, they are considered vulnerable,” Jim McLaughlin and Patrick Shaw with McLaughlin & Associates wrote in a May memo to the NRCC. “Marcy Kaptur only receives 43% of the vote against Derek Merrin, which means Kaptur is significantly below this benchmark.

“Kaptur begins the race with significant negatives as more than four of ten voters (42%) already disapprove of the job she has been doing even before the general election campaign has begun,” they added. “Furthermore, the all-important undecided voters are showing signs that they are much more likely to vote Republican as 67% disapprove of Kaptur and they prefer to vote Republican by a better than two to one margin.”

Republicans say the findings “clearly show” that Merrin can replicate the working- and middle-class coalition that propelled Republicans and Trump to victory two years ago.

The move follows a similar announcement in April, when the NRCC added Trump-endorsed Eric Conroy, a Cincinnati Air Force veteran and a former Central Intelligence Agency agent, to the list. Conroy is hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman in Ohio’s First Congressional District race in November.