Ohio
Ohio Democrat Beats Trump's Pick, Extends House Record
Ohio Democratic US Rep. Marcy Kaptur won another term on Wednesday, defeating a Republican state lawmaker endorsed by President-elect Trump. Her victory in northwest Ohio over state Rep. Derek Merrin allows Kaptur to continue her streak as the longest-serving woman in House history, the AP reports. The final results were certified by the Lucas County Board of Elections in Toledo; the AP called the race Wednesday after previously saying the race was too early to call, though Kaptur declaring victory around 2am the morning after Election Day. Final results were slightly outside the 0.5% margin that would have triggered an automatic recount, with libertarian candidate Tom Pruss scoring about 4% of the vote.
Kaptur, 78, was viewed as among the year’s most vulnerable congressional incumbents, placing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the middle of a campaign battle where spending topped $23 million, according to figures compiled by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan tracker of campaign finance data. Her campaign said in a statement that Kaptur had overcome millions spent by special interests to distort her record. Kaptur thanked her constituents for trusting her to return to Washington in what will be her 22nd term. She pledged to continue to work to increase jobs, strengthen the manufacturing sector and “ensure dignity and stability for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules.”
Merrin had been endorsed by Trump, and his defeat marks Trump’s first loss in a state that went for the president-elect three times. During the House campaign, Merrin, 38, and his Republican allies targeted Kaptur on immigration and the economy. Democrats targeted Merrin on his support for abortion restrictions, including his work on a bill that would have made certain abortions felonies.
(More Ohio stories.)
With Ravi Bellamkonda beside him, John Zeiger comments on Ted Carter
With Ravi Bellamkonda beside him, John Zeiger comments on Ted Carter during the announcement of Bellamkonda being named Ohio State’s new president.
Before Ted Carter leveraged his position to get the woman he later admitted having an “inappropriate relationship” with a job at Ohio State University, he asked at least two University of Nebraska-related organizations to consider hiring her.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported April 28 that Carter tried to get military podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos a job at the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska Foundation in 2023 while he was still president of the University of Nebraska System.
Ohio State released a nearly 50-page report April 21 detailing the investigation into Carter’s downturn. It included new details about Carter’s relationship with Vlachos. That report prompted the University of Nebraska System to conduct its own internal review of Carter’s potential dealings with Vlachos during his time as president there.
Vlachos and Carter appear to have met at a Veterans in Energy forum in Washington, D.C., in March 2023, earlier than initially reported, according to Ohio State’s internal report. Carter was president of the University of Nebraska System at the time and a keynote speaker at the conference.
Vlachos later described the forum to others “as the start of their friendship, the occasion when she asked him to mentor her son who was joining the Navy, and when she asked him to cohost her podcast,” the report read.
It’s not clear from the report how quickly their relationship developed or if the relationship was romantic, though The Dispatch previously reported that it was romantic.
According to public records reviewed by The Journal Star, Vlachos sent Carter a link to her resume at his NU email address a few weeks after the conference concluded in April 2023. Carter forwarded the message two days later to Rick Evans, executive director of National Strategic Research Institute. NSRI is one of 15 university affiliated research centers nationwide designated by the U.S. Department of War.
Evans replied to Carter’s email two days later.
“Looking at her profile, her skills are probably best aligned to the Contracts and Business Operations Coordinator position you approved us to hire,” Evans wrote.
Evans also said an Omaha-based position would soon be posted. Carter replied that he believed Vlachos would be “more than willing to relocate to Omaha.” Vlachos was living in St. Louis at the time.
Later that month, Carter also forwarded Vlachos’ resume to Brian Hastings, president and chief executive officer of University of Nebraska Foundation.
Both organizations told The Journal Star that Vlachos was never recommended or interviewed for either position beyond Carter’s initial referral.
Vlachos was never employed in any capacity at Nebraska, a spokesperson told The Journal Star.
Carter was named Ohio State’s 17th president in August 2023 and officially began his tenure in January 2024. Carter gunned for Vlachos to get a job at Ohio State within months of starting his tenure at the university, according to the Ohio State internal report.
In July 2024, from his personal email account, Carter emailed Senior Vice President for Talent, Culture & Human Resources Katie Hall requesting that Vlachos be considered for “any opportunity that fits her skill set.”
Vlachos applied to five positions related to the Office of Advancement, but the investigation report suggests she didn’t formally interview for any of them. Vlachos was never hired by Ohio State.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
Ohio’s U.S. Congressional District changes
Here is how Ohio’s new U.S. congressional district boundaries will compare to the old ones in four districts in the Cincinnati area.
May 5 is a primary Election Day in Ohio. Voters will choose candidates to represent their party on the ballot in the November elections. Some voters also have tax levies.
Here are The Enquirer’s primers on the top contested primary races:
For Republicans:
Ohio governor
Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio Treasurer
Ohio Supreme Court
U.S. House District 1
U.S. House District 2
Butler County Commissioner
Warren County Commissioner
Clermont County Commissioner
For Democrats
Ohio Attorney General
U.S. House District 1
U.S. House District 2
U.S. House District 8
U.S. House District 10
Hamilton County Commissioner
Clermont County Commissioner
Nonpartisan issues
School levies to watch
Full list of everything on the ballot
Go deeper
The Enquirer background-checked every local congressional candidate. What we found
Inside the two primaries for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District
Who’s paying for the congressional races?
CINCINNATI — Anyone who needs to go to their polling location for Ohio’s primary election will be able to ride all Metro services for free Tuesday, May 5.
Metro announced all fixed-route buses will run their regular weekday schedules fare-free on Election Day. For those who need door-to-door help, Metro’s Access paratransit will be available for eligible riders, while MetroNow! — the on-demand shuttle service — will also be free to anyone who needs it.
“Access to transportation should never be a barrier to voting,” Brandy Jones, Metro’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, said in a release. “By offering fare-free service on election day, we’re helping ensure that more people can take part in shaping their community.”
Metro has already announced that it will also offer fare-free rides for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as well.
To learn more about the different routes or transit options, download the Transit app or visit Metro’s website here.
After the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed new congressional maps last year, and some county board of elections announced polling consolidations this spring, there’s a chance your polling place has changed. If you are not sure where your polling location is, visit the Secretary of State’s website here.
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