CBS News projected Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur as winner of the Ohio 9th District rematch, where she faced Republican Derek Merrin in a seat redrawn to favor Republicans in October 2025.
The repeat contest followed a close 2024 result. Merrin’s vote total was about 2,400 below Kaptur’s, CBS reported, leaving him just outside the automatic-recount threshold. The race remained unresolved for two weeks after Election Day, according to the network.
A revised map made the northwestern Ohio district more favorable to Republicans, CBS reported. Kaptur’s service representing the area dates to 1983; CBS also describes her as the woman with the longest tenure in Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana, campaigned alongside Merrin in early October and called the rematch a “top-five race.” CBS placed the comment in the context of the battle over House control during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term.
