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Ohio data center legislation drew hordes of lobbyists
The article notes political activity around Ohio’s 1st Congressional District (OH-01) involving Rep. Greg Landsman (D) and Republican challenger Eric Conroy.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Derek Merrin, a Republican former Ohio state representative who narrowly lost to Marcy Kaptur in 2024, is his party's 2026 nominee for Ohio's 9th congressional district in a rematch with the Democratic incumbent.
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Derek Merrin Campaigns Everywhere but Northwest Ohio - Ohio Democrats
The article targets Derek Merrin’s campaign behavior in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District (OH-09), contrasting him with Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
ohiodems.org
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Ohio Dems Taught to Avoid Israel ‘Like the Plague,’ Encouraged to Make Up Answers for Voters
Derek Merrin is the Republican challenger in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. The seat, currently held by Democrat Marcy Kaptur since 1983, became more competitive after 2025 redistricting, with the district leaning…
No story this week names this candidate.
- Birthplace
- Smithtown, New York
- Education
- Monclova Christian Academy
Owens Community College
University of Toledo (Bachelor of Arts)
Bowling Green State University (Master of Public Administration)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Derek Merrin was born in Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, and moved with his family to Waterville, Ohio, when he was thirteen years old.
His father, Russ Merrin, was a public-school teacher who pastored Monclova Road Baptist Church for twenty-three years, and his mother, Norma, was a registered nurse.
Merrin graduated from Monclova Christian Academy and attended Owens Community College before transferring to the University of Toledo, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. He also holds a Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University.
Outside politics he is a real estate investor who owns five rental properties in Toledo.
Career
Merrin was elected to the Waterville City Council at the age of nineteen and was elected mayor two years later. He also worked for Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.
In 2016 he won a three-way Republican primary to succeed term-limited state representative Barbara Sears, and after Sears resigned early he was appointed to the remainder of her term, taking office on August 2, 2016, before winning the general election over Democrat Lauri Cooper.
He was re-elected in 2018 and 2020 and, after redistricting, carried the 47th House District with 53.9% of the vote.
In the Ohio House, which he served in from 2016 to 2025, Merrin proposed the measure that became the Epinephrine Accessibility Act, and in 2022 he lost the election for speaker to Jason Stephens by 54 votes to 43. He later represented the 42nd district. In 2024 Merrin was the Republican nominee for Ohio's 9th congressional district and was narrowly defeated by the incumbent, Marcy Kaptur.
2026 race
Ohio's 9th congressional district is based in Northwest Ohio and includes Toledo and the western Lake Erie coast.
The district was redrawn in 2025 in an effort to flip it to the Republican Party, and the Democratic incumbent, Marcy Kaptur, who was re-elected in 2024 with 48.3% of the vote, is seeking another term.
Derek Merrin won the Republican nomination over a field that included healthcare executive Anthony Campbell, Air National Guard lieutenant colonel Alea Nadeem, state representative Josh Williams and Madison Sheahan, deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2025 to 2026.
The result sets up a rematch with Kaptur, and Libertarian Matthew Althaus, a manufacturing manager, is also on the ballot for the election on November 3, 2026.