Former ICE official Madison Sheahan lost a Republican primary in a battleground Ohio House district Tuesday, a relief to Republicans who worried she could sabotage their chances of flipping the seat.
Past state Rep. Derek Merrin won the GOP nomination in the 9th District for the second cycle in a row and will face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in November. He lost to Kaptur — the House’s top Democratic energy appropriator — by less than 1 percentage point in 2024.
Republicans see the seat as a prime pickup opportunity after the Ohio Legislature redrew the state’s congressional map to make the district more favorable for Republicans.
Merrin’s victory comes with a sigh of relief from Republicans in the state who raised concerns about Sheahan’s background being a soft target for Kaptur in a general election. Sheahan served as former deputy ICE director under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
