SANDUSKY — Her opponent simply refuses to answer questions—any questions about any issues—but especially perhaps he won’t talk about the deadly fate that lies ahead for Ohio’s and the nation’s Haitian immigrant population.
The Trump administration successfully repealed the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, and has begun sending deportation teams to Ohio. The administration is stripping Haitians who fled violent regimes of their legal status and now requiring them to report and wear ankle monitors while awaiting deportation.
Former state Rep. Derek Merrin, who is from Monclova Township in Lucas County, has declined interviews and ignored requests for comment all during his entire campaign for the 9th District Congressional seat, since before winning the Republican primary in May.
There’s no record Merrin ever addressed questions or made any comments in January, or since, after two U.S. citizens attending ICE protests in Minneapolis—Alex Pretti and Renee Good—were killed by federal agents.
Merrin, who came within 1 percentage point of defeating Kaptur in 2024, is keeping it close to the vest by glad-handing at every Republican Lincoln Day dinner, and every central committee meeting he can find, posting selfies at Facebook of himself posing happily with smiling constituents, and phrases like “So good to be with my friends in Port Clinton,” or “Happy to be in the company of people who care.”
He’s not risking anything on the campaign trail, perhaps hoping his MAGA GOP credentials will carry him to Washington. But with an opponent like Kaptur, who hails from Toledo and was first elected to Congress when Ronald Reagan was president, it’s a mistake when anyone underestimates her electoral charm with voters
