GOP challenger concedes race against House appropriator Kaptur

Derek Merrin (R) a member of the Ohio legislature has formally conceded his race in Ohio’s 9th congressional district against Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), a member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the longest serving incumbents in congress.

“The vote is we came about 2,300 votes short” after the provisional votes were counted in Northeast Ohio, Merrin said in a Friday video message posted on the X social media platform.

Merrin congratulated Kaptur on the victory, calling her one of the most “entrenched” members of congress, while at the same time praising the Republican Party for winning the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

The Columbus Dispatch and other media outlets reported Kaptur’s victory, after the Associated Press called the race for Kaptur on Wednesday, more than two weeks after election day. A onetime domestic policy adviser for President Jimmy Carter, Kaptur was first elected to congress in 1982, according to her official bio. Merrin, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee in the Ohio House, did not rule out future political races.