SANDUSKY — She’s fighting billionaires, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur said late Thursday, while her opponent is fat-catting it in Lone-Star State on behalf of them, kowtowing and ready to serve the elite class.
“While Northwest Ohio families are struggling with rising costs, my opponent flew to Dallas to court wealthy donors, impress Washington insiders, and celebrate the same Billionaire-first agenda making life harder back home,” Kapter said, responding to a national address former state Rep. Derek Merrin gave at the Republican National Committee Midterm convention.
Merrin’s five-minute speech Thursday focussed on MAGA Republican themes of blaming President Biden for inflation, claiming Kaptur is a captive of Democratic Party special interests that want to defund police, force reassignment surgeries on minors and let transgendered athletes destroy women’s sports.
Merrin has not strayed from the MAGA message or waivered one ounce of support for President Trump since securing the Republican Party nomination in the 9th District race in May, for the second straight time. In 2024 Merrin came within 1 percentage point of defeating Kaptur. Gerrymandering by the Ohio Legislature last year tilted the district to “likely Republican” from its prior “tossup” rating.
Merrin hasn’t made much noise on the campaign trail all year. He’s not said if he supports the deportation of thousands of Haitian immigrants and Trump’s plan to send deportation teams here after stripping them of their legal status. The Ohio residents, many whom have lived here for decades, will likely face certain death if they are forced to return to Haiti.
Merrin instead focussed his speech on red meat MAGA politics.
“Democrats (are) talking about letting illegal immigrants vote in our elections,” and “taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgeries for minors,” Merrin complained.
Kaptur called Merrin a tool.
“I don’t take marching orders from Washington. I’m fighting every day to lower costs, protect Social Security and Medicare, and take on a corrupt system rigged for the wealthy and well-connected,” she said.
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