Kaptur touts local record

SANDUSKY — Facing a tough re-election fight in a redrawn district, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, said she is running on her record of delivering results for Erie County and the rest of the 9th U.S. House District. "We have done a lot for Erie County," she said, noting her office also released a long list of projects and programs she has advocated for and funded. She is a senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, giving her a big voice in spending decisions by Congress. Kaptur, 80, is a longtime Democratic incumbent in the district, which was redrawn in 2025 to seemingly give it a more Republican tilt by adding more conservative rural counties. It now includes Erie, Ottawa, Lucas, Fulton, Williams, Henry, Defiance, Putnam and Paulding counties as well as a northern portion of Wood County. This marks the second time since 2020 the district had been redrawn. Kaptur contends that the latest district represents unconstitutional gerrymandering pushed by majority Republicans who control the Ohio legislature. She won her first election in 1982 and has won two-year terms in every election since then. Her opponent this year is Republican Derek Merrin, who also ran against her in 2024. Kaptur's campaign message Among the most important initiatives Kaptur and her office have undertaken is keeping the NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Erie County functional. Kaptur said she has been working hard with Sierra Lobo and other companies to expand research at the facility. Trump's tariffs and his war in Iran have sharply raised the cost of fuel, and it has hurt visitation from Canada, Kaptur said. Everyone is hurt by prices at the pump, and the cost of diesel has badly hurt local farmers, she said. The U.S. needs to make it a priority to develop as many forms of energy as possible to lower the cost of energy, Kaptur said. Many people in Ohio have lost their health care benefits, hurting people who live in the state and also hurting health care providers, Kaptur said. Kaptur's opponent Kaptur's Republican opponent, Merrin, is a former state representative who narrowly lost to her in 2024. He won a Republican primary earlier this year to win the right to challenge Kaptur again. The Register contacted Merrin's campaign repeatedly in an attempt to interview him about his campaign but was unable to obtain an interview. Merrin hosted a rally Thursday at Keller Logistics in Defiance with Mike Johnson, the speaker of the U.S. House, in an attempt to motivate Republicans in the district to get out and vote for him. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, the CEO of Keller Logistics, Bryan Keller, is a data center advocate who has opposed a moratorium on the development of data centers. A key race Democrats and Republicans are battling for control of both houses of Congress. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House, and the race for the 9th District is considered one of the battleground races that will help determine control of the House. The Cook Political Report currently rates Kaptur's race as a toss-up. The Center for Politics, also known as Sabato's Crystal Ball, also indicates that the race is pretty much split. Kaptur said it's important for Democrats to regain control of the U.S. House. "I think it's really critical for our country," she said. Kaptur's auto accident recovery Kaptur was injured on Aug. 2 this year in a hit-and-run automobile accident. She was a passenger in a car, on the way to church in Toledo, when another vehicle crossed into their lane and hit their car. Kaptur spent several days in the hospital but soon managed to resume work. A warrant has been issued for a suspect in the crash, but no arrest has been reported. "Every day I get better," Kaptur replied when asked how she's doing. She has been going to receive physical therapy. "And they give me stuff to work on at home." Committing to Erie County Kaptur's office released a list of recent funding for projects in Erie County. Here are some of the biggest awards on the list. Note: Kaptur has been on the House Appropriations Committee since 1990, so there are other projects that aren't listed. • $282 million from NASA to Sierra Lobo, which has a research facility in Milan, to support spaceflight hardware design, development, testing and operations • About $65 million in 2023 for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work in the Great Lakes, including $11.5 million for Huron harbor maintenance and about $1 million apiece for work on the Sandusky and Vermilion harbors • $24.5 million in 2024 for improvements along U.S. 6, including the installation of several roundabouts and construction of about 6 miles of the Sandusky Bay Pathway • $6 million in 2023 to restore Pickerel Creek wetlands • About $4 million in 2023 to provide coupons to seniors to spend in local farmers' markets, including in Erie County • $3.9 million in 2023 for a U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Award for Growers Mineral in Milan to help construct a new building and increase fertilizer production • $3 million in 2026 for the Sawmill Creek wastewater treatment plant in Huron • $3 million in 2023 to help restore the Sandusky State Theatre • $2 million in 2022 to the Erie County Health Department for transitional housing for people getting mental health treatment • $1.9 million in 2023 for a new terminal for Put-in-Bay's airport. • $1.8 million grant in 2023 to the Erie County Health Department for behavioral health services • $1.8 million in 2026 to the Army Corps of Engineers for dredging Sandusky's harbor • About $1.8 million this year for the Erie County Community Health Center and about $1.6 million for Family Health Services of Erie County; The two clinics provide health care for local residents regardless of ability to pay. • About $960,000 in 2024 for drinking water infrastructure improvements for the MacArthur Park neighborhood of Sandusky • About $614,000 in 2024 to the Erie County Housing Authority for capital improvements • About $507,000 in 2025 to install an energy-efficient grain dryer for Krumwiede Farms • About $361,000 to Kelleys Island in 2025 to advance planned runway safety improvements for the island's airport • About $302,000 in 2024 for equipment for Vermilion's fire department • About $115,000 to Edison Local Schools in Milan to modernize food operations