Three candidates—Theresa Gavarone, J.R. Majewski, and Craig Riedel—are running in the Republican primary election for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District on May 10, 2022. Incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D), the longest-serving woman in U.S. House history, was first elected in 1982 and is seeking re-election.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed Kaptur as a Frontline candidate, a distinction used to identify and support vulnerable Democratic incumbents.
Ohio is undergoing congressional redistricting, meaning the exact boundaries of the 9th District are currently unknown. The Crescent News‘ Todd Helberg wrote that recent proposals “substantially changed … the district that elected Democrat Marcy Kaptur … to Congress for years” by giving the district a more Republican lean.
Gavarone is a member of the Ohio State Senate. She was appointed to the office in 2019 after serving in the Ohio House of Representatives since 2016. In a campaign ad, Gavarone highlighted her legislative experience, saying that she “turned conservative principles into action,” and that she “pass balanced budgets, brought parents to the table to improve our schools, and defended our men and women in uniform.”
Majewski works in the nuclear industry in project management positions and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1999 to 2003. In a Candidate Connection survey submitted to Ballotpedia, Majewski described himself as “the America First Candidate” and said he would “Bring back good paying American jobs … Maintain a strong national defense and stop the endless wars.” Read his full responses here.
Riedel is a member of the Ohio House of Representatives where he was first elected in 2016. Riedel said Kaptur had been in office for too long and said, “I am sick and tired of career politicians … who always make promises, fail to deliver, then pass the buck,” adding that he would “work with President Trump and … the Freedom Caucus to push an America-first agenda.”
The winner of the primary will face Kaptur, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, and independent candidate Youseff Baddar.
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