Republicans fill out the House battlefield with challengers in key districts
The November battle for control of the House becomes the focus of Tuesday’s primaries, as Republicans choose candidates to challenge Democratic incumbents in Ohio and Indiana.
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GOP voters nominated former state Rep. Derek Merrin, setting up a rematch with Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th District — on paper, a district that appears to be one of the GOP’s best chances of flipping a Democratic-held seat this year.
For years, Republicans tried unsuccessfully to knock Kaptur out of the Republican-leaning seat. And they managed to make his district even redder as part of a redistricting compromise last year. But the candidates have repeatedly clashed with Kaptur, who has shown resilience on the campaign trail throughout his long career.
Merrin beat out several rivals for the Republican nomination, including state Rep. Josh Williams and Madison Sheahan, the former No. 2 official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Democrats need just three seats to regain control of the House — and a number of GOP districts appear vulnerable. Any opportunity for Republicans to go on the offensive and defeat a Democratic incumbent would be critical to their chances of retaining the majority.
Republicans also scored an early victory last year with that redistricting compromise, which shifted Ohio’s 1st District to a Donald Trump carried by 3 points in 2024. On Tuesday, Republicans nominated Trump-backed Eric Conroy, an Air Force veteran who also worked at the CIA, as their candidate to run against Rep. Greg Landsman in the Cincinnati area.
While Republicans improved their chances by winning two seats in the redistricting compromise, the Akron-area 13th District held by Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes shifted to the left during redistricting: then-Vice President Kamala Harris won by about 3 points in 2024. Carey Coleman, a former longtime local media talk show host, is the winner there of the Republican primary.
And in Indiana, where Trump’s strategy to unseat Republican senators has gained attention, there is a House district that could be competitive this fall. Republican Porter County Commission member Barb Regnitz is expected to get her party’s nod to take on Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Harris only won this seat by less than a percentage point in 2024 – but Mrvan has been re-elected several times despite the competitive nature of his district.
While many House incumbents were victorious, a handful had closer races than expected.
Freshman Rep. Jefferson Shreve of Indiana beat his Republican primary opponent, Sarah Brown, by just a few percentage points. Brown, a homeschooling advocate and author, has raised just $22,000 for her candidacy through mid-April, while Shreve, who has been endorsed by Trump, has raised about $350,000 and injected $2 million of his own money into his campaign.
Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Baird had Trump’s support, but he faced a spirited challenge from state Rep. Craig Haggard. There has been a flurry of outside spending in recent weeks, from both sides, but Baird was projected as the winner.
And Rep. Victoria Spartaz also won her Republican primary in Indiana. But Baird and Spartz were hovering around 60% of the vote Tuesday night, a low mark in a primary for a sitting member. And while Baird faced a notable opponent, Spartaz’s challenger, Scott King, was relatively unknown.
