Ohio's 9th District
U.S. House · Ohio
Marcy Kaptur won re-election by 5.5 points over Derek Merrin.
Source: Ohio Secretary of State unofficial resultsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 12:46 PM ET
Where the race moved
Against the 2024 presidential vote
The seat's recent races
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two sides on one scale: their campaigns, and outside groups spending for them or against their opponent.
Top funders
Outside groups and direct contributors, ranked by what they put in; the color shows which candidate it helps.
| HMPFor Kaptur, against Merrin | $5.6M | |
| SAFETY & AFFORDABILITY PAC INC.For Merrin, against Kaptur | $3.3M | |
| Club for Growth ActionFor Merrin, against Kaptur | $843.7K | |
| Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) DBA CVA Action and DBA LIBRE ActionFor Merrin, against Kaptur | $783.9K | |
| New American Jobs FundFor Kaptur | $648.6K | |
| American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees PEOPLEFor Kaptur | $584.5K | |
| NO GOING BACK PAC INC.For Merrin | $531.9K | |
| CFFE PACFor Kaptur | $527.5K | |
| AB PACFor Kaptur | $365.6K | |
| EDW Action FundAgainst Merrin | $347.4K | |
| AMERICAN RESOLVE PAC INC.Against Merrin | $77K | |
| America PACFor Merrin | $57.4K |
Show 4 more
Campaign money: FEC, through Oct 14, 2026. Outside spending: independent expenditures by super PACs, parties and other groups, primary and general, as reported to the FEC through Nov 1, 2026, updated Nov 3, 2026. It leaves out spending not reported as independent expenditures (most issue ads and much dark money), so it understates all outside money. The FEC lists only each candidate's largest spenders; totals count every spender.
Source: FEC campaign filings; FEC independent expendituresUpdated Nov 3, 2026, 1:05 AM ET
Polls against the result
The final average had Merrin ahead by 1.9. Kaptur won by 5.5: a 7.4-point miss toward Republicans.
- Poll with Kaptur ahead
- Poll with Merrin ahead
- Final polling average
- Result
| Pollster | Dates | Sample | Kaptur | Merrin | Margin | Adjusted | Miss vs result | Grade | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCCC Targeting TeamD-sponsored | Sep 22–Sep 23 | 481 LV | 48 | 48 | Even | R+1.8 | −5.5 | — | dccc.org ↗ |
| McLaughlin & Associates for NRCCR-sponsored | Apr 18–Apr 20 | 400 LV | 43 | 47 | R+4 | D+3.5 | −9.5 | C− | nationaljournal.com ↗ |
Adjusted: after correcting for the pollster's house effect and likely-voter screens. Miss: the poll's margin minus the result; + means the poll leaned Democratic. Grade: the pollster's accuracy in past elections, A+ to D (pollster ratings).
Source: Each poll's release, via The New York Times and Wikipedia poll listsUpdated Sep 23, 2026
Pre-election forecast (final, Nov 3)
Our model's last run before Election Day, Nov 3, 2026. It no longer updates.
- Marcy Kaptur
- 55%
- Derek Merrin
- 45%
- Projected margin
- D+0.6
The candidates
Incumbent U.S. representativeDerek Merrin (R)
Former state representative (2016–2025) and nominee for this district in 2024
Also on the ballot: Kathy McKinstry (Other party), 0.1%