U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson joined Derek Merrin, Republican nominee for Ohio’s U.S. 9th Congressional District for a “Get Out and Vote” rally Thursday at Keller Logistic Group’s corporate headquarters in Defiance.
Merrin of Lucas County is vying for the 9th seat against Democrat incumbent Marcy Kaptur, who has held the position for 43 years. She defeated Merrin for the position in 2024 in a close race decided by less than 1% of the vote.
The rally drew some 100 supporters who cheered and clapped as Merrin and Johnson encouraged the audience to get out and vote.
“Now look, we almost won this last time; we came so close,” said Johnson. “It was a third party spoiler — 0.7% — so close. We almost retired Marcy Kaptur.”
He explained what usually happens in midterms with voting: “angry people vote and satisfied people don’t. It happens almost every time in history. … That is not going to happen this time.”
About what the polls are showing, he said: “Here’s what we believe … . Of the more than 35 house seats up for election, about half will go to the Republicans and half to the Democrats, which leaves 22 toss-up races in the whole country. Those 22 seats are going to decide the fate of the Republicans … whether they keep the House vote and the majority or it gets turned over to the … left.
“Of those 22 seats you can rank them in importance and scope, and how much it is going to cost us. This is a top five race that you are sitting in, right here in the 9th District of Ohio,” he said. “Everybody around the country is counting on you. Every single vote is going to count — and it’s going to be close.”
Earlier, Merrin addressed what he described as two “big whoppers” being told about him.
The first “whopper,” he said, is that “Derek Merrin voted for tax breaks for data centers. … The truth is, in 2011 the State of Ohio enacted a tax break to data centers. I came in office in 2016, that’s five years. … Now what the hyprocrisy of it is … is she (Kaptur) accuses me of doing something I never did, but she’s the one actually who voted for tax breaks for data centers, in 2021 in Congress.”
About the second “whopper,” he said: “She said Derek voted for a bill, House Bill 6 that increased your electric bill. The bill they are referring to was repealed. We found out that there was in the past … some corruption. I voted for it. I co-sponsored a bill to get rid of the bill. It was a bailout for the nuclear industry and was repealed in 2021.”
About their differences, he said: “She’s been in office longer than I’ve been alive. … I support term limits (on members of Congress) and she has repeatedly opposed term limits.”
Merrin said he supports a constitutional amendment to balance the budget annually, and stated: “I’ve never voted to raise taxes. One of the reasons is I want to keep more money in your pocket. Another thing is government is irresponsible and you don’t give people that irresponsible more money.”
He also supports secure elections, border security and enforcement and the Save America Act, which Kaptur opposed, he noted.