The person behind the name
Derek Merrin’s public career runs from a Waterville council seat at nineteen to eight years in the Ohio House, a committee gavel over tax policy, a caucus vote for Speaker that the floor overturned, and two campaigns against the longest-serving woman in Congress.
His official House biography records that he makes his home in Monclova Township, in Lucas County, that he played basketball for Monclova Christian Academy, and that he is a real estate investor and an enthusiastic Bengals fan; Ballotpedia’s biography adds that he was born in Smithtown, New York. Neither biography names a spouse or children, and this profile makes no claim about his family. The Associated Press gave his age as 39 when he launched his second congressional campaign in June 2025. [1][6][37]
Education and professional preparation
The official biography reports a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toledo and a Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University; Ballotpedia dates the degrees to 2008 and 2009 and lists a public performance measurement certificate from Rutgers University–Newark. Reporting first published by the Ohio Capital Journal says that after his time as mayor he joined the office of then-Auditor Dave Yost. Transcripts and license records were not part of this review. [1][6][34]
A public life that began in a small city
At nineteen he became a member of the Waterville City Council; two years later he was elected mayor, an office his biography dates from 2008 to 2011. In 2016 he won a three-way Republican primary for the 47th House District, was appointed to the seat in 2016 and won the general election that November; he was re-elected in 2018 and 2020 and, in 2022, in the 42nd District. He chaired the House Health Committee in 2019–2020 and the Ways and Means Committee in 2021–2022, and left the House at the end of 2024 under Ohio’s term limits. [1][3][6][34][37]
In 2024 he won the Republican primary for the 9th Congressional District with 27,632 votes, 52.5 percent, and lost the general election to Marcy Kaptur by 2,382 votes. On May 5, 2026 he won a five-way primary; the unofficial count reported the next morning gave him 25,024 votes, 44.1 percent, and President Trump endorsed him on May 21. He faces Kaptur and Libertarian Matthew Althaus on November 3, 2026. [6][5][7][41][40]
A note on the primary figures. The 2026 numbers above are the Secretary of State’s unofficial results as reported by Courthouse News the morning after the primary; the official canvass could not be retrieved because the Secretary of State’s website refused automated requests for this review. The 2024 primary figures are the certified results as recorded by Ballotpedia. [7][6]
Life & public service
From a suburban city hall to the Ohio House and two congressional campaigns, the documented milestones show how his record was built.
Mayor of Waterville
Joined the Waterville City Council at nineteen and was elected mayor at twenty-one; his official biography dates the mayoralty from 2008 to 2011. [1]
Health Committee chairman; the heartbeat bill and House Bill 6
As chairman of the House Health Committee he voted for Senate Bill 23, the six-week abortion ban, in committee on April 9 and on the floor on April 10, 2019; he voted for House Bill 6, the nuclear-plant subsidy law, on May 29 and July 23, 2019. [6][34][22][23][20][21]
Ways and Means chairman; the Householder expulsion vote
In a release dated February 1, 2021 the House announced that Speaker Bob Cupp had appointed him chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. On June 16, 2021 he was one of 21 members voting against House Resolution 69, which expelled former Speaker Larry Householder 75–21. [2][18][19]
Two bills signed; photo ID and permitless carry
His House Bill 126 on property-value challenges took effect July 21, 2022 and his House Bill 140 on levy ballot language on September 13, 2022. He voted for Senate Bill 215, permitless concealed carry, on March 2, 2022 and for House Bill 458, which the campaign identifies as Ohio’s photo-ID election law, on December 14, 2022. [13][15][27][25][4]
A rival caucus and an ethics bill
Declared himself leader of the House Republicans, announced an ethics bill on January 18 and introduced it as House Bill 16, the Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act, on February 15, and with allies sued Speaker Stephens on October 7, 2023 for control of the caucus campaign fund. [32][33][29][46][30]
Term-limited out; a second campaign
Left the House at the end of 2024 under term limits and announced a rematch with Kaptur on June 23, 2025. [37]
A new map
The Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a bipartisan congressional map on October 31, 2025 that added Paulding, Putnam and Henry counties to the 9th District and removed Sandusky; President Trump would have carried the new district by 10.5 points in 2024. [39]
Accomplishments, in the record
Legislative documents, roll calls, court records and campaign-finance filings establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with shared credit where the measure was another legislator’s bill.
Two committee gavels
In a release dated February 1, 2021 the House announced that Speaker Bob Cupp had appointed Merrin chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for the 134th General Assembly; his own property-tax bills and the photo-ID bill of that session were heard there. His official biography says he previously chaired the House Health Committee; Ballotpedia’s committee record dates that chairmanship to 2019–2020, and the Ohio Capital Journal and NOTUS describe him as the committee’s chairman when the six-week abortion ban passed through it in April 2019. [2][13][15][24][1][6][34][42][22][23]
After the January 2023 Speaker vote, the Statehouse News Bureau reported, about two dozen Republicans stood with Speaker Stephens while more than half of the caucus signaled support for Merrin through floor votes and by attending meetings he hosted. [32]
House Bill 126: limits on challenges to property values
Merrin was the primary sponsor of House Bill 126 of the 134th General Assembly, which modified the law governing property-tax complaints; his biography describes it as limiting the power of local governments to challenge property values in order to raise property taxes. The House passed it 62–31 on April 15, 2021 and the Senate 24–7 on December 15, 2021; the House then voted 0–90 on the Senate’s version on March 2, 2022, and on April 6, 2022 both chambers passed the version reported by a conference committee, 61–35 in the House and 24–8 in the Senate, with Merrin voting yes at each House passage. It took effect July 21, 2022. [13][14][1]
House Bill 140: the Ballot Uniformity and Transparency Act
His House Bill 140 rewrote the form of election notices and ballot language for property-tax levies. The House’s release of June 14, 2022 announced that it had been signed into law that day; the bill page records an effective date of September 13, 2022. [15][2]
Bills that passed, and claims that outran the bill pages
His campaign biography says he “captured about 20 legislative victories from sponsored bills and amendments that are making Ohioans lives better.” This review verified two enactments under his own sponsorship, House Bills 126 and 140. His first bill, House Bill 116 of 2017 to exempt prescription eyewear from sales tax, passed the House on September 20, 2017 and was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on October 25, 2017, where the status page records no further action; the biography credits the repeal, and a saving of $45 million a year, to that bill, but the bill page shows no enactment and this review did not trace the vehicle through which the exemption became law. Provisions the biography credits to budget bills and amendments are the biography’s claims. [3][1][16][17]
How he voted on the bills that defined the period
Senate Bill 23, the heartbeat bill, on which he is listed as a House cosponsor: yes in the Health Committee on April 9, 2019 (11–7) and on the floor on April 10, 2019, when it passed 56–40; effective July 11, 2019. House Bill 6, the nuclear-plant subsidy law: yes on May 29, 2019 (53–43) and again on July 23, 2019 (51–38), the House’s second vote after the Senate had passed the bill. Senate Bill 215, permitless concealed carry, on which he is also listed as a cosponsor: yes on March 2, 2022 (58–36). House Bill 458, sponsored by Representative Thomas Hall, whose long title says it modifies the law governing voter identification and which the campaign identifies as Ohio’s photo-ID law: a cosponsor, he voted yes in his Ways and Means Committee on December 8, 2021 (11–5), at House passage on December 9, 2021 (68–22) and on December 14, 2022 (55–34), the House’s vote after Senate passage; the bill took effect April 7, 2023. House Bill 68, which enacted the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation Act, concerning gender-transition services for minors, and the Save Women’s Sports Act, requiring schools and colleges to designate single-sex sports teams: a cosponsor, he voted yes at House passage on June 21, 2023 (64–28), on December 13, 2023 (62–27) and on January 10, 2024 (65–28), the vote taken after Governor DeWine’s veto, which his campaign release of January 9, 2024 said he was rallying colleagues to override; the Senate voted 24–8 on January 24, 2024 and the act took effect April 24, 2024. [22][23][20][21][26][27][24][25][4][44][45]
House Bill 33, the state operating budget for fiscal years 2024–2025, to which his biography credits several of his provisions: no on House passage on April 26, 2023 (78–19), yes on June 30, 2023 (67–30) on the version reported by the conference committee, which took effect July 4, 2023. Each is a recorded vote, not authorship, except where his sponsorship is noted above. [28][47][1]
Chosen by the caucus, defeated on the floor
House Republicans named Merrin their candidate for Speaker in a November 2022 caucus vote. On January 3, 2023 the House elected Jason Stephens 54–43; Stephens had 22 Republican votes, and the rest came from more than 30 Democrats. Merrin’s position afterward, in his words to the Statehouse News Bureau: “Well, I am the leader of the House Republicans.” He claimed the chairmanship of the caucus on the strength of more than two-thirds of its members, and his group elected Representative Phil Plummer to chair the caucus campaign fund. [31][32]
House Bill 16, the Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act
Announced by Merrin at a January 18, 2023 press conference and introduced on February 15, 2023, the bill would have required lobbyists to report income from each client, barred public officials from serving on corporate boards after election, required the Elections Commission and the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee to publish disclosures, and required nominees to the Public Utilities Commission to disclose conflicts with the utilities they would regulate. The bill page shows only the introduced version, and the status page records nothing after its referral to the House Government Oversight Committee on February 16, 2023. [29][46][33]
Ohio House Republican Alliance v. Stephens
Merrin, Plummer and Representative Ron Ferguson sued Speaker Stephens on October 7, 2023 for control of the caucus campaign fund. On June 21, 2024 Judge Mark Serrott of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas granted their motion for a preliminary injunction from the bench. On September 5, 2024 the Tenth District Court of Appeals held that the dispute was “a nonjusticiable political question over which we may not claim jurisdiction,” vacated the injunction and dismissed the case; the ruling decided jurisdiction, not who rightly led the caucus. [30][35]
What the Federal Election Commission record shows
The Commission’s candidate summary for the 2026 cycle, which combines his authorized committees (two principal committees, Derek Merrin for Congress and Merrin for Congress, and three nominee funds), shows for January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 total receipts of $1,508,952.61 and ending cash on hand of $531,214.34, with $451,830.75 from individuals, $116,900 from other political committees, $310,000 in loans from the candidate (of which $280,000 had been repaid), $627,766.89 in transfers from his other authorized committees and $88,351.80 in debts owed. For the 2024 cycle Ballotpedia’s reading of the same filings shows $1,722,804 raised and $1,646,153 spent. Kaptur had raised $4.3 million by the same June 2026 date. [10][11][12][6][40]
Family & community
His official House biography and his campaign biography describe a home in Monclova Township, a high-school basketball career at Monclova Christian Academy, a devotion to the Bengals and work as a real estate investor; neither names a spouse or children, and this profile asserts nothing about his family. [1][3]
The community roles documented in the record are his public offices: the Waterville council seat held from nineteen and the mayoralty from 2008 to 2011. In 2024 his campaign announced the endorsements of the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association and the Toledo Police Command Officers Association. [1][4]
Neither his official biography nor his campaign biography states a religious affiliation, and this profile assigns none. The one statement on the subject in his own words found in this review is in the candidate survey he submitted to Ballotpedia in October 2024, where he wrote that he hoped people would look back and say that “before I was a politician or congressman, I was first a Christian, second an American, and third a conservative.” It is quoted as his statement, not as a stated affiliation. [6]
Mission & priorities
“For the last 8 years, I have led the fight for conservative values at the Ohio Statehouse. Now, I'm ready to take the fight to Washington - defending our constitutional rights, demanding fiscal responsibility, and bolstering Northwest Ohio's economy.” {3}
The following summarizes the agenda on Merrin’s campaign website, in his 2024 candidate survey and in his campaign statements. These are proposed priorities, not completed accomplishments. [3][6]
01The America First agenda
The campaign website’s headline asks voters to “Support the America First Agenda.” Announcing his rematch on June 23, 2025 he wrote: “I’ll fight for the America First agenda, strengthen the border, cut taxes, protect our freedoms — and give Northwest Ohio the bold, conservative leadership it deserves.” At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 10, 2026 he said: “Let’s give President Trump the majorities in Congress he needs to keep our communities safe, keep our border secure, and keep America great.” [3][37][43]
02Lower taxes and a simpler code
The campaign biography calls him “a strong advocate for lower taxes, simplifying the tax code, and promoting transparency” and says he “successfully led efforts to cut the state's income tax, reduce regulations, and expand school choice.” The record shows the Ways and Means chairmanship of 2021–2022, the two property-tax bills he carried into law, and provisions his biography credits to the state budget for fiscal years 2024–2025, House Bill 33, for which he voted on June 30, 2023 after voting against the House version in April; the statement that he led the income-tax cut and the school-choice expansion is the campaign’s claim about budget bills that carried many members’ provisions, and this review did not measure it. [3][2][13][15][28][47][1]
03A balanced-budget amendment
In his 2024 candidate survey: “I support a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget; America should only spend within our means.” No vote on federal spending exists in his record, which is a state one. [6]
04The border
From the same survey: “I support sending the military to secure the border to stop drug cartels and human trafficking. Furthermore, we must finish Trump's wall and deport illegal immigrants.” His campaign’s July 11, 2024 statement on the SAVE Act paired border security with proof of citizenship for voting. [6][4]
05Social Security and Medicare
The survey states: “As a Member of Congress, I will protect our earned benefits that provide safety and security to elder Americans. Also, I support removing the federal tax burden on Social Security benefits as well as eliminating the windfall provision that penalizes hardworking Americans.” When he entered the race in June 2025 the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said of the Republican field that “no matter which corporate lapdog who wants to gut Medicaid and Social Security comes out the other end, Marcy will defeat their special interest agenda again”; that is a campaign characterization, and no federal vote by Merrin exists to test it. [6][37]
06Election integrity and policing
A cosponsor of House Bill 458, whose long title says it modifies the law governing voter identification and which the campaign identifies as Ohio’s photo-ID law, he voted for it in the Ways and Means Committee and at House passage in December 2021 and again in December 2022 after the Senate passed it, and his campaign said in July 2024: “As one of the leaders of Ohio's photo ID requirement law, once elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, I will continue to champion the integrity of our elections and the need to secure our border to ensure the safety of Northwest Ohio families.” Accepting two Toledo police unions’ endorsements the same month, he said that “While Marcy Kaptur believes that policing needs to be reimagined and supports legislation to end qualified immunity for police, I will stand by our law enforcement officers.” The bill was Representative Hall’s; it was heard in the committee Merrin chaired, and his role in its passage is a cosponsorship and recorded votes. [25][24][4]
07Term limits
08Abortion
The campaign website does not state a position. The record does: as Health Committee chairman he moved Senate Bill 23, the six-week ban, through committee and voted for it on the floor in April 2019, and NOTUS reported that he co-sponsored a 2019 bill for a total ban that died in committee. After Ohio voters adopted Issue 1 in November 2023 with 57 percent, he wrote: “Although we did not defeat Issue 1, we must continue to be the voice for the voiceless,” and “House Republicans will look at all available avenues to defend the unborn moving forward. We will not give up.” [42][22][23]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes policy tradeoffs, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
The Speaker’s race and the caucus revolt
Merrin won the November 2022 caucus vote for Speaker and lost the January 3, 2023 floor vote 54–43 when 22 Republicans joined all 32 Democrats behind Jason Stephens. He answered by declaring himself leader of the House Republicans, holding his own caucus meetings and, with allies, suing for control of the caucus campaign fund, which then held more than $3 million. A trial judge sided with his group in June 2024; the Court of Appeals vacated that order in September 2024 without deciding who led the caucus. The Associated Press reported that the trial judge’s reasoning was that the faction representing a majority of the caucus should decide because majorities rule, that the infighting had stymied lawmaking and produced one of the least productive legislative sessions on record, and that the fund waged ad campaigns against Merrin allies in the 2024 primaries. The votes and the court file are the record either way. [31][32][42][35][30]
House Bill 6, Householder and the “Dirty Derek” ad
Merrin voted for House Bill 6 in May and July 2019 and backed Larry Householder’s bid for Speaker. The Ohio Capital Journal reported that he received about $10,000 from Householder’s Growth & Opportunity PAC and $7,700 from Householder’s campaign committee; 13abc likewise reported that he was among the lawmakers who received money from Householder’s PAC. The amounts are the Journal’s figures; the filings themselves were not retrieved for this review. On June 16, 2021 he voted against expelling Householder, who was later convicted in the bribery scheme behind the law. In October 2024 the Kaptur campaign aired an ad saying “Dirty Derek Merrin. He’s so dirty, he should be indicted,” and its spokesman said “Merrin voted for that billion dollar corporate bailout and it hiked electric bills for Ohio families.” Merrin’s campaign called the ad “a desperate and pathetic attempt to distract voters from Marcy Kaptur’s failed policies that have left Northwest Ohioans behind,” and pointed to FirstEnergy PAC donations to Kaptur. 13abc reported in October 2024 that none of the lawmakers who received the PAC’s money, other than Householder, had faced charges; his 2023 ethics bill, which would have required utility-commission nominees to disclose conflicts, is in the record above. In May 2026 Kaptur called him a “Householder hanger-on.” [20][21][34][38][19][29][7]
Abortion: a record the campaign does not feature
NOTUS reported in June 2024 that Merrin’s campaign website omits abortion and that he had not raised it in recent interviews, while his state record includes shepherding the six-week ban as Health Committee chairman, co-sponsoring a 2019 total-ban bill, and, in February 2023, pressing a constitutional change to require 60 percent approval for citizen-initiated amendments: “The number one interest is protecting our constitution from liberal interests that look to hijack our constitution.” Issue 1 passed in November 2023 with 57 percent statewide and by 12 points in the 9th District. The campaign did not respond to NOTUS’s requests for comment. [42][22][23]
Rental property and the Toledo lead ordinance
His official biography describes him as a real estate investor, and the Ohio Capital Journal’s January 2023 profile, republished by News 5 Cleveland, reported that he owns rental properties and had proposed measures friendly to landlords. The first, an amendment to the 2017 state budget, House Bill 49, directed at Toledo’s lead-paint ordinance for rental housing, is documented by his own House statement of April 28, 2017: “I was proud and enthusiastic to sponsor it,” he said, calling the city’s ordinance “targeted discrimination against a small minority of property owners” and arguing that lead safety should be regulated uniformly by the state. The second, 2018 provisions to count weekends and holidays in the eviction-notice period that were later removed, rests on the Journal’s account alone in this review; the bill language was not retrieved. [1][34][48]
The 2024 loss and the rematch
The Clerk of the House’s statistics give the 2024 result as Kaptur 181,098, Merrin 178,716 and Libertarian Tom Pruss 15,381, a margin of 2,382 votes; the Associated Press reported that Pruss’s campaign was boosted by more than $400,000 from the pro-Democratic Voter Protection Project. Conceding, Merrin said: “Marcy Kaptur got more votes than we did, and I accept that.” The 2025 map made the district more Republican: President Trump would have carried it by 10.5 points in 2024, and as of August 2026 forecasters rated the race Lean Democratic, Toss-up or Tilt Republican. Kaptur and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have made the 2024 loss itself an argument, and Courthouse News reported that Republicans hope the new map shifts the balance; neither is a fact about his record. [5][36][39][40][7]
Endorsements and the 2026 field
President Trump endorsed Merrin in 2024, stayed out of the 2026 primary, in which Merrin defeated state Representative Josh Williams and former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan, and endorsed him on May 21, 2026 with “my Complete and Total Endorsement.” NOTUS reported that Speaker Mike Johnson encouraged him to run in late 2023; Johnson endorsed him on January 25, 2024, the Congressional Leadership Fund spent $756,000 in his primary, and Representative Jim Jordan backed his opponent. Endorsements establish political support; they are not evaluations of the record above. [4][8][41][42][9]
Questions & answers
Who is Derek Merrin?
Derek Merrin’s public career runs from a Waterville council seat at nineteen to eight years in the Ohio House, a committee gavel over tax policy, a caucus vote for Speaker that the floor overturned, and two campaigns against the longest-serving woman in Congress. His official House biography records that he makes his home in Monclova Township, in Lucas County, that he played basketball for Monclova Christian Academy, and that he is a real estate investor and an enthusiastic Bengals fan; Ballotpedia’s biography adds that he was born in Smithtown, New York. Neither biography names a spouse or children, and this profile makes no claim about his family. The Associated Press gave his age as 39 when he launched his second congressional campaign in June 2025. [1][6][37]
What office is Derek Merrin running for in 2026?
Who is Derek Merrin running against?
In 2024 he won the Republican primary for the 9th Congressional District with 27,632 votes, 52.5 percent, and lost the general election to Marcy Kaptur by 2,382 votes. On May 5, 2026 he won a five-way primary; the unofficial count reported the next morning gave him 25,024 votes, 44.1 percent, and President Trump endorsed him on May 21. He faces Kaptur and Libertarian Matthew Althaus on November 3, 2026. [6][5][7][41][40]
What are Derek Merrin's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the agenda on Merrin’s campaign website, in his 2024 candidate survey and in his campaign statements. These are proposed priorities, not completed accomplishments. [3][6] The campaign lists: The America First agenda; Lower taxes and a simpler code; A balanced-budget amendment; The border; Social Security and Medicare; Election integrity and policing; Term limits; Abortion.
What does the public record show?
Legislative documents, roll calls, court records and campaign-finance filings establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with shared credit where the measure was another legislator’s bill. In a release dated February 1, 2021 the House announced that Speaker Bob Cupp had appointed Merrin chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for the 134th General Assembly; his own property-tax bills and the photo-ID bill of that session were heard there. His official biography says he previously chaired the House Health Committee; Ballotpedia’s committee record dates that chairmanship to 2019–2020, and the Ohio Capital Journal and NOTUS describe him as the committee’s chairman when the six-week abortion ban passed through it in April 2019. [2][13][15][24][1][6][34][42][22][23]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions, and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; the roll calls read for it are those on the bills named above, and the House Journal was not searched in full. Sponsored-bill counts, interest-group scorecards, personal financial disclosures, degree transcripts, license records and the official 2026 primary canvass were not part of this review: Ballotpedia and the Ohio Secretary of State refused automated requests, so certified 2024 figures are read from an Internet Archive copy of Ballotpedia and the 2026 primary figures are the unofficial count as reported. Campaign-finance figures are the Federal Election Commission’s candidate-level summary, which combines his authorized committees. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Historical sources do not imply current positions. A court’s dismissal on jurisdictional grounds is not a ruling on the merits. The source list provides direct links so readers can check the underlying material. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: the Ohio House’s bill pages and roll calls, its releases, the Clerk of the U.S. House’s election statistics, the Federal Election Commission’s filings and the Tenth District Court of Appeals’ decision. The official House biography and the campaign’s pages establish attributed background and stated positions; original reporting supplies scrutiny and responses. Ballotpedia is cited, as an analysis source, for certified primary figures and the candidate’s own survey answers where the Secretary of State’s site could not be reached.
- 01Derek Merrin Biography (official Ohio House member page; Internet Archive copy captured December 21, 2023) (Internet Archive copy, captured 2023)Ohio House of Representatives (Internet Archive copy) · Captured December 21, 2023
Official biography: appointed in 2016, fourth term; Ways and Means and Health chairmanships; the bills the biography credits; degrees; Waterville council and mayor 2008–2011; Monclova Township.Government record - 02Representative Derek Merrin – District 42 (member page with news releases; Internet Archive copy captured December 26, 2024) (Internet Archive copy, captured 2024)Ohio House of Representatives (Internet Archive copy) · Captured December 26, 2024
House releases: HB 140 signed into law (June 14, 2022); appointment as Ways and Means chairman (February 1, 2021); the Anthony Dia Act.Government record - 03Home | Derek Merrin (campaign website, Meet Derek)Derek Merrin for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign biography and the quoted mission sentence; the America First headline; social links and press contact. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 04News | Derek Merrin (campaign releases, March–July 2024)Derek Merrin for Congress (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The March 18, 2024 Trump endorsement, the July 11, 2024 SAVE Act statement and the July 25, 2024 police-union endorsements, in the campaign’s words.Campaign or advocacy material - 05Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2024Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives · Published March 10, 2025
Ohio 9th District: Merrin 178,716; Kaptur 181,098; Pruss 15,381.Government record - 06Derek Merrin (Internet Archive copy captured February 20, 2026) (Internet Archive copy, captured 2026)Ballotpedia (Internet Archive copy) · Captured February 20, 2026
Certified 2024 primary results (Merrin 27,632, 52.5%); committee assignments; degree years; 2024 FEC totals; the candidate’s 2024 Candidate Connection survey answers. Used because Ballotpedia’s live site refused automated requests.Independent analysis or rating - 07GOP voters send Merrin to rematch with longtime congresswoman in Ohio’s 9th DistrictCourthouse News Service (Kevin Koeninger) · May 6, 2026
Unofficial 2026 primary count (Merrin 25,024, 44.1%; Williams, Sheahan, Nadeem, Campbell); Merrin’s and Kaptur’s primary-night statements; ratings as of May 2026.Independent reporting - 08Ohio’s Kaptur set for rematch with Merrin in bid for 23rd House termRoll Call (Daniela Altimari) · May 6, 2026
The AP call at 43 percent; Trump stayed out of the primary; Inside Elections’ Tilt Republican rating and its estimate that Trump would have carried the new district by 11 points.Independent reporting - 09Key House primary results: Davis wins, Kaptur to face MerrinRoll Call · March 19, 2024
The 2024 primary as called by the AP; the Congressional Leadership Fund’s $756,000; Jim Jordan’s support for Riedel.Independent reporting - 10MERRIN, DEREK — Candidate overview, H4OH09169Federal Election Commission · Accessed September 17, 2026
The candidate’s 2026-cycle financial summary as displayed on the Commission’s site; it states that the data combine five authorized committees: two principal committees and three nominee funds.Government record - 11Candidate totals, H4OH09169, 2026 cycle (openFEC API)Federal Election Commission (openFEC API) · Coverage through June 30, 2026
Receipts $1,508,952.61; cash on hand $531,214.34; individual contributions $451,830.75; other-committee contributions $116,900; candidate loans $310,000, repaid $280,000; transfers from other authorized committees $627,766.89; debts $88,351.80. The linked candidate page shows the same record.Government record - 12Candidate search: Merrin (openFEC API)Federal Election Commission (openFEC API) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Candidate id H4OH09169, first filed December 29, 2023; principal committees Derek Merrin for Congress (C00909630) and Merrin for Congress (C00863829).Government record - 13House Bill 126, 134th General Assembly — Regards process for local governments to contest property valueOhio House of Representatives · Effective July 21, 2022; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Derek Merrin; long title; effective date; conference committee.Government record - 14House Bill 126 Votes, 134th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2021–2022; accessed September 17, 2026
House 62–31 (April 15, 2021); Senate 24–7 (December 15, 2021); House 0–90 on March 2, 2022; April 6, 2022 votes 61–35 and 24–8; Merrin recorded yes at each House passage.Government record - 15House Bill 140, 134th General Assembly — Enact Ballot Uniformity and Transparency ActOhio House of Representatives · Effective September 13, 2022; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Derek Merrin; modifies election notices and ballot language for property-tax levies; effective date.Government record - 16House Bill 116, 132nd General Assembly — Exempt optical aids from sales taxOhio House of Representatives · 2017; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Derek Merrin; current version “As Passed by the House”; no effective date.Government record - 17House Bill 116 Status, 132nd General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2017; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced March 7, 2017; passed the House September 20, 2017; referred to Senate Ways and Means October 25, 2017; no further action.Government record - 18House Resolution 69, 134th General Assembly — Expel Representative Larry HouseholderOhio House of Representatives · 2021; accessed September 17, 2026
The expulsion resolution, sponsored by Representatives Fraizer and Stewart; adopted.Government record - 19House Resolution 69 Votes, 134th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · June 16, 2021
Adopted 75–21; Derek Merrin recorded among the 21 nays.Government record - 20House Bill 6, 133rd General Assembly — Creates Ohio Clean Air ProgramOhio House of Representatives · Effective October 22, 2019; accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsors Callender and Wilkin; the nuclear-plant subsidy law later at the center of the Householder case.Government record - 21House Bill 6 Votes, 133rd General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2019
House passage 53–43 (May 29, 2019) and concurrence 51–38 (July 23, 2019); Merrin recorded yes on both.Government record - 22Senate Bill 23, 133rd General Assembly — Prohibit abortion if detectable heartbeatOhio House of Representatives · Effective July 11, 2019; accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsor Kristina Roegner; the six-week ban; effective date.Government record - 23Senate Bill 23 Votes, 133rd General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2019
House Health Committee 11–7 (April 9, 2019) and House passage 56–40 (April 10, 2019); Merrin recorded yes on both and listed among the House cosponsors.Government record - 24House Bill 458, 134th General Assembly — Eliminate August special elections except for US House nominationOhio House of Representatives · Effective April 7, 2023; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Thomas Hall; long title includes modifying the law governing voter identification; heard in the House Ways and Means Committee; identified by the campaign as Ohio’s photo-ID election law; effective date.Government record - 25House Bill 458 Votes, 134th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2021–2022
Ways and Means Committee 11–5 (December 8, 2021), House passage 68–22 (December 9, 2021) and the December 14, 2022 vote 55–34; Merrin recorded yes on each and listed among the cosponsors.Government record - 26Senate Bill 215, 134th General Assembly — Regards concealed handgun licensee dutiesOhio House of Representatives · Effective June 13, 2022; accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsor Terry Johnson; the permitless-carry law; effective date.Government record - 27Senate Bill 215 Votes, 134th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · March 2, 2022
House passage 58–36; Merrin recorded yes and listed among the cosponsors.Government record - 28House Bill 33 Votes, 135th General Assembly (state operating budget, 2023–2025)Ohio House of Representatives · 2023–2024
House passage 78–19 (April 26, 2023), Merrin recorded no; June 30, 2023 vote 67–30, Merrin recorded yes.Government record - 29House Bill 16, 135th General Assembly — Enact the Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform ActOhio House of Representatives · 2023; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Derek Merrin; current version “As Introduced.”Government record - 30Ohio House Republican Alliance v. Stephens, 2024-Ohio-3416 (10th Dist.), No. 24AP-393Ohio Court of Appeals, Tenth District (Supreme Court of Ohio reporter) · Rendered September 5, 2024
The caucus-fund suit filed October 7, 2023 by Merrin, Plummer and Ferguson; the June 21, 2024 preliminary injunction; held a nonjusticiable political question; injunction vacated and case dismissed.Government record - 31Rep. Derek Merrin loses Ohio Speaker of the House vote13abc (WTVG) · January 3, 2023
The 54–43 floor vote for Jason Stephens despite the caucus’s November decision for Merrin.Independent reporting - 32Who’s the leader of the Ohio House Republicans?The Statehouse News Bureau (Andy Chow) · January 25, 2023
Stephens’s 22 Republican votes and more than 30 Democratic votes; Merrin’s claim to lead the caucus; the alliance fund’s $3 million; Plummer as fund chairman.Independent reporting - 33Republicans who backed Merrin for Ohio House speaker introduce ethics law changesThe Statehouse News Bureau (Karen Kasler) · January 18, 2023
The ethics bill’s provisions in Merrin’s words; his 2019 vote for House Bill 6 with 40 other Republicans and nine Democrats.Independent reporting - 34Who is likely incoming Ohio House speaker Derek Merrin?News 5 Cleveland, republishing the Ohio Capital Journal (Nick Evans) · January 3, 2023
Career before the House (Waterville, the Auditor’s office); Householder-linked contributions; rental properties and landlord-friendly amendments; the Health Committee and Senate Bill 23.Independent reporting - 35Amid GOP infighting, judge strips Ohio House speaker of control over Republican caucus campaign fundCBS News (Associated Press) · June 23, 2024
Judge Serrott’s injunction; the fund’s roughly $4.7 million raised and spent; the AP’s description of one of the least productive sessions on record.Independent reporting - 36Trump-backed Derek Merrin concedes to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in OhioCBS News (Associated Press) · November 24, 2024
The official margin; the Voter Protection Project’s spending for Pruss; Merrin’s concession in his own words.Independent reporting - 37Republican Derek Merrin launches bid for rematch against Rep. Marcy Kaptur13abc (Associated Press) · June 23, 2025
The June 23, 2025 announcement; age 39; four terms and term limits; the DCCC’s response.Independent reporting - 38Merrin campaign responds to new Kaptur ad calling for his indictment13abc (WTVG) · October 20, 2024
The “Dirty Derek” ad, the Kaptur campaign’s statement and the Merrin campaign’s response; Merrin among lawmakers who received money from Householder’s PAC, none of whom other than Householder had faced charges.Independent reporting - 39Kaptur’s district moves further to right in Ohio’s new congressional map13abc (WTVG) · October 30, 2025
The commission’s bipartisan map; counties added and removed; Trump’s 10.5-point margin in the new district; the 2,382-vote 2024 margin.Independent reporting - 40Redistricting redraws Ohio’s 9th District ahead of 2026 Kaptur-Merrin rematchBallotpedia News (David Luchs) · August 6, 2026
General-election field including Matthew Althaus; the 2024 result by percentage; The Downballot’s 54.8–44.2 presidential estimate; ratings and fundraising as of June 30, 2026.Independent analysis or rating - 41Donald J. Trump, Truth Social post of May 21, 2026 (archived copy)Trump’s Truth (archive of Truth Social posts; original linked from the page) · May 21, 2026
The endorsement text and timestamp, 6:33 p.m. Eastern; an archived copy of the President’s own post.Campaign or advocacy material - 42Mike Johnson’s Favorite House Candidate Is Also One of the Most Outspoken on AbortionNOTUS (Katherine Swartz) · June 11, 2024
Speaker Johnson’s encouragement to run in late 2023; the 2019 total-ban co-sponsorship; the 60-percent amendment push; Issue 1’s 57 percent and the district’s 12-point margin; Merrin’s post after Issue 1.Independent reporting - 43Derek Merrin Draws Contrast With Marcy Kaptur at RNCThe Daily Signal (Rebecca Downs) · September 10, 2026
His September 10, 2026 speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, quoted.Independent reporting - 44House Bill 68, 135th General Assembly — Enact Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) ActOhio House of Representatives · Effective April 24, 2024; accessed September 17, 2026
Primary sponsor Gary Click; long title covering gender-transition services for minors and single-sex school sports teams; effective date.Government record - 45House Bill 68 Votes, 135th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2023–2024; accessed September 17, 2026
House 64–28 (June 21, 2023), 62–27 (December 13, 2023) and 65–28 (January 10, 2024); Senate 24–8 (January 24, 2024); Merrin recorded yes on each House vote and listed among the cosponsors.Government record - 46House Bill 16 Status, 135th General AssemblyOhio House of Representatives · 2023; accessed September 17, 2026
Introduced February 15, 2023; referred to the House Government Oversight Committee February 16, 2023; no further action.Government record - 47House Bill 33, 135th General Assembly — Establishes operating appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025Ohio House of Representatives · Effective July 4, 2023; accessed September 17, 2026
The state operating budget; Conference Committee on H.B. 33; effective date.Government record - 48Rep. Merrin Releases Statement on Budget Amendment Regarding Lead Abatement (official Ohio House release of April 28, 2017; Internet Archive copy) (Internet Archive copy, captured 2023)Ohio House of Representatives (Internet Archive copy) · April 28, 2017; captured February 23, 2024
Merrin’s own statement on his amendment to Substitute House Bill 49 concerning Toledo’s lead ordinance, in his words; the live page now returns an error.Government record
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions, and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; the roll calls read for it are those on the bills named above, and the House Journal was not searched in full. Sponsored-bill counts, interest-group scorecards, personal financial disclosures, degree transcripts, license records and the official 2026 primary canvass were not part of this review: Ballotpedia and the Ohio Secretary of State refused automated requests, so certified 2024 figures are read from an Internet Archive copy of Ballotpedia and the 2026 primary figures are the unofficial count as reported. Campaign-finance figures are the Federal Election Commission’s candidate-level summary, which combines his authorized committees. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Historical sources do not imply current positions. A court’s dismissal on jurisdictional grounds is not a ruling on the merits. The source list provides direct links so readers can check the underlying material. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. The candidate portrait is the official member headshot published by the Ohio House of Representatives on its website (ohiohouse.gov), a state-government photograph whose license terms the site does not state; it is reproduced with credit and flagged for the owner’s decision. No campaign-owned photograph is used. Inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
Voting in Ohio: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Ohio Secretary of State; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Voter registration deadlineMonday, October 5, 2026, for the November 3, 2026 general election. A registration form (a new registration, or a change of name or address) must be postmarked or received by October 5, 2026. Ways to register: online through the Secretary of State's online voter registration system (olvr.ohiosos.gov); by mail; or in person at your county board of elections or at another registration site such as a Bureau of Motor Vehicles office or a public library. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/clark/election-info/registration-deadlines
- Registration deadline — by mailPostmarked no later than Monday, October 5, 2026, when the form is mailed to your county board of elections or to the Secretary of State's office. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/clark/election-info/registration-deadlines
- Registration deadline — in personReceived no later than Monday, October 5, 2026, when the form is handed in rather than mailed. The county boards of elections that print their hours for that day stay open late: Montgomery County, “office open until 9:00 p.m.”; Summit County, “Our office is open until 9 PM on that date.” Read from: boe.ohio.gov/montgomery/election-info/registration-deadlines
- Absentee (mail) ballots start going outTuesday, October 6, 2026, the day after registration closes. The Summit County board's 2026 calendar says absentee ballots “must be ready” that day, and the Hamilton County board says it starts mailing absentee ballots on October 6, 2026. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/summit/c/upload/ElectionsCalendar.pdf
- Early in-person voting beginsTuesday, October 6, 2026, at 8:00 a.m., at your county board of elections (each board prints the address of its early voting center). The Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Franklin and Summit county boards of elections print the same schedule: October 6–9 (Tuesday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; October 12–16 (Monday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; October 19–23 (Monday–Friday), 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 24, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Monday, October 26, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, October 27, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 31, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, November 1, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/montgomery/election-info/early-voting-hours
- Early in-person voting endsSunday, November 1, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Franklin County board's schedule calls it the “Final Day of Early Voting,” and the Summit County board says the last day for in-person absentee voting is the Sunday before Election Day at 5:00 p.m. The schedules printed by the county boards list no early voting hours for Monday, November 2, 2026. Read from: vote.franklincountyohio.gov/voters/absentee-and-early-voting
- Deadline to request an absentee (mail) ballotTuesday, October 27, 2026: your county board of elections must RECEIVE your absentee ballot application by the close of business that day, the seventh day before Election Day. County boards print the closing time as 8:30 p.m.: Hamilton County, “until 8:30 pm on October 27th”; Lorain County, “Tuesday, October 27 by 8:30 P.M.” The application must be mailed or delivered in person; the Summit and Greene county boards say faxed or e-mailed requests from domestic voters are not accepted. Read from: votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Nov-2026-Election-Cal-.pdf
- Deadline to return an absentee (mail) ballotTuesday, November 3, 2026, 7:30 p.m. — the ballot must be RECEIVED by your county board of elections by then; this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. The Secretary of State's absentee application (Form 11-A, 06/2026) says: “Ohio law requires all absentee ballots to be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day,” whether the ballot comes back by mail, in the drop box located at your county board of elections, or in person at the board office. Exception printed on the same form: ballots from members of the uniformed services and from voters outside the United States must be received by the fourth day after the election. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/comoh/Absentee_Request_11-A.pdf
Rules to know
- What to bringOhio requires photo identification to vote in person, both during early in-person voting and on Election Day. The ID must not be expired and must show your name and photograph. Accepted: an Ohio driver's license, state ID card or interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles; a U.S. passport or passport card; or a U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card. The Hamilton and Butler county boards also list a U.S. military dependent ID card. If you do not have or cannot show photo ID, you may vote a provisional ballot; for it to be counted you must go to your county board of elections within four days after Election Day and show photo ID. Voting by mail works differently: the absentee ballot application asks for the last four digits of your Social Security number, your Ohio driver's license or state ID card number, or a copy of your photo ID. Read from: vote.franklincountyohio.gov/voters/identification-requirements
- Voting by mail (absentee)Any registered Ohio voter may vote absentee by mail; the Greene County board notes that voters no longer have to state a reason. Ask for a ballot with the Absentee Ballot Application (Form 11-A, prescribed by the Secretary of State), or call your county board of elections and ask it to mail you an application. The application must include ONE of these: the last four digits of your Social Security number; your Ohio driver's license or state ID card number; or a copy of a current photo ID (front and back; for a passport, the identification page). Mail it or hand it in to your county board of elections so that the board RECEIVES it by the close of business on Tuesday, October 27, 2026; the Summit and Greene county boards say faxed or e-mailed requests from domestic voters are not accepted. Return your voted ballot so that the board RECEIVES it by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026: by mail with postage affixed (the form says to mail it as soon as possible), in the drop box located at your county board of elections, or in person at the board office. Only you or a near relative may deliver your ballot; a voter with a disability may choose anyone other than their employer or an officer of their union, and whoever delivers a ballot for someone else must complete an attestation form (Form 12-P) at the board office. Do not take an absentee ballot to your Election Day polling place: the Summit County board says ballots left there will not be counted. If you were mailed an absentee ballot and decide to vote at your polling place on Election Day instead, you will have to vote a provisional ballot. Read from: boe.ohio.gov/comoh/Absentee_Request_11-A.pdf
- Early in-person votingOhio's early voting is in-person absentee voting: from Tuesday, October 6 to Sunday, November 1, 2026 you can vote in person at your own county's early voting center, which in the counties read is the county board of elections office (the Hamilton County board says early in-person voting takes place “ONLY at the Board of Elections”). The days and hours are listed above under “Early in-person voting begins”; the Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Franklin and Summit county boards print the identical schedule, which includes two Saturdays and one Sunday and no hours on Monday, November 2, 2026. Bring photo ID: the Franklin County board lists the same identification requirements for early in-person voting and for Election Day. Read from: vote.franklincountyohio.gov/voters/absentee-and-early-voting
- Track your absentee ballotThe Secretary of State's absentee application (Form 11-A) says: “You can track your request and your ballot online at VoteOhio.gov/Track.” County boards of elections also post their own trackers, for example “Track your Absentee Ballot” (Summit County), “Absentee Request Status” (Greene County) and “Track the status of your mail-in ballot” (Franklin County). Read from: boe.ohio.gov/comoh/Absentee_Request_11-A.pdf
Read from: Absentee Ballot Application — Form 11-A Prescribed by the Ohio Secretary of State (06/2026) · 2026 ELECTIONS CALENDAR · SUMMIT COUNTY – Board of Elections · Summit County In-Person Absentee Voting For the November 3, 2026 General Election · Absentee Voting – SUMMIT COUNTY · SUMMIT COUNTY General Election - November 3, 2026 (Official Candidate List) — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
Ideas, questions, corrections
If something on this page is wrong, out of date, or missing, the fastest way to get it fixed is to send the document. Corrections that arrive with a source are applied. Suggestions for what the Ledger should cover next are welcome on the same address. press@derekmerrin.com
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