Ohio 9th District race 2026: Merrin vs. Kaptur
General election, November 3, 2026 · U.S. House in Ohio’s 9th District. Incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D), 48.3% in 2024; redrawn 2025 (Trump 55-44 under new lines)
Derek Merrin
Former Ohio House member (2016–2024), Ways and Means chairman, 2024 nominee against Marcy Kaptur and the 2026 Republican nominee for Ohio’s 9th District.
Read the documented profile of Derek MerrinMarcy Kaptur
American politician; Democratic U.S. representative for Ohio’s 9th congressional district since 1983; 2026 Democratic nominee for the same seat
The general-election field as the board records it: Kaptur (D) vs. Merrin (R) vs. Matthew Althaus (L)
The race at a glance
Board data as of . Ratings are the raters' own current calls; polls are the newest public ones with their field dates; money is what the committees reported. Nothing here is a forecast.
- Seat
- Incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D), 48.3% in 2024; redrawn 2025 (Trump 55-44 under new lines)
- Primary
- (OH SOS official canvass via Wikipedia; SOS site 403): R Merrin 25,092 (44.1%), Josh Williams 14,419 (25.3%), Madison Sheahan 11,501 (20.2%); D Kaptur unopposed 45,827
- Ratings
- Cook Toss Up (Lean R→Toss Up ); Sabato Toss-up (); IE Tilt R ()
- Newest public polling
- McLaughlin (R, NRCC) Apr 18–20 n=400 LV: Merrin 47 / Kaptur 43; no nonpartisan general poll found
- Reported money
- FEC : Kaptur $4,303,416 raised / $3,491,668 COH; Merrin $1,508,953 / $531,214. CLF Toledo $3.6M; HMP Toledo $3,067,500.
- Notable
- Trump endorsed Merrin (stayed out of the primary). 2024 rematch: Kaptur 181,098 vs Merrin 178,716 on old lines.
Key dates in Ohio
Read from the Ohio Secretary of State. The full guide, with the official tools, is on the Ohio page.
- 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. boe.ohio.gov
- 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. boe.ohio.gov
- 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. votehamiltoncountyohio.gov
- 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. boe.ohio.gov
- Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — general election. boe.ohio.gov
- Polling place hours on Election Day6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. vote.franklincountyohio.gov
Voting in Ohio: dates, rules and official tools
Questions and answers
Who is running for the U.S. House in Ohio’s 9th District in 2026?
Kaptur (D) vs. Merrin (R) vs. Matthew Althaus (L) (as of Sep 15, 2026).
When is the election?
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Voter registration deadline: Monday, 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.
How do the raters see this race?
Cook Toss Up (Lean R→Toss Up Jan 15); Sabato Toss-up (Sep 10); IE Tilt R (Sep 10) (as of Sep 15, 2026).
What do the polls show?
McLaughlin (R, NRCC) Apr 18–20 n=400 LV: Merrin 47 / Kaptur 43; no nonpartisan general poll found (as of Sep 15, 2026).
How much money has been reported?
FEC Jun 30: Kaptur $4,303,416 raised / $3,491,668 COH; Merrin $1,508,953 / $531,214. CLF Toledo $3.6M; HMP Toledo $3,067,500. (as of Sep 15, 2026).