'Left behind': Vulnerable Dem incumbent in key swing state slammed for putting 'knife in back' of workers

TOLEDO - Ohio GOP State Rep. Derek Merrin, who is moving for Congress against susceptible Democrat incumbent Marcy Kaptur, spoke to Fox News Digital astir wherefore the issues affecting Northwest Ohioans successful 2024 are putting Kaptur’s 41-year tenure successful Congress successful jeopardy.

"Northwest Ohio has been near down for galore years due to the fact that of Marcy Kaptur and Marcy Kaptur’s values bash not correspond northwest Ohio," Merrin told Fox News Digital astatine the Lucas County GOP Headquarters astir wherefore helium decided to participate the contention to effort to unseat the longtime Democratic congresswoman. 

"I felt there's a existent accidental to triumph this race. There's a existent accidental to alteration and I truly judge that the aboriginal of our state is astatine involvement and we person to halt the wide policies of Joe Biden and Marcy Kaptur of the Democratic Party to prevention our country."

Kaptur, presently serving her 21st word successful Congress representing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, is considered 1 of the astir susceptible Democrats successful the House. While the Cook Political Report ranks her contention arsenic "Lean Democrat," redistricting pursuing the 2020 census has Republicans believing the spot is simply a premier accidental to guarantee power of the House and that they tin flip the seat.

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Republican Derek Merrin is moving against Dem. Rep. Marcy Kaptur successful Ohio's 9th Congressional District (Getty Images)

Merrin told Fox News Digital that helium expects a important fig of Independents, and immoderate Democrats, to enactment his candidacy pointing to the "ineffectiveness" of Congress and unpopular Democrat policies.

"The immense bulk of Americans are fed up with the Democratic Party but conjecture what?" Merrin said. "Not everyone's a Republican. People privation policy. They privation to little the outgo of living. They privation unafraid borders, and they're bushed of the governmental class. I'm going to prime up votes from Democrats. I'll prime up a batch of votes from independents due to the fact that my connection and policies are aligned with what they privation to spot happen."

"They privation to wage little wealth astatine the pump. They privation their wellness security to spell down. They privation their lodging costs to spell down. They privation their security costs to spell down. They privation to beryllium capable to instrumentality their household retired to devour for nether $100 each clip they spell retired to eat. And I'm going to enactment connected policies that are going to get our state moving again, that are going to bring backmost American jobs and to little the outgo of surviving and to unafraid our border." 

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Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, speaks astatine the VFW Post 2529 Annual Corn Roast successful Sandusky, Ohio (Bill Clark)

Kaptur is 1 of 8 Democrats moving successful 2024 successful a territory that voted for Trump successful 2020. Trump won the authorities of Ohio by 8 points successful 2020 and is expected to adjacent oregon surpass that successful 2024.

"This is simply a caller district," Merrin said. "This is simply a Republican-leaning territory and Marcy Kaptur’s values are being exposed for what she's really done successful Washington, D.C. She doesn't judge anyone should beryllium allowed to thrust a gas-powered car. She believes fundamentally everyone needs to wage much taxes. She puts amerciable immigrants up of United States citizens. And erstwhile radical recognize her grounds and her failure, she's been 1 of the astir ineffective Congress radical passing authorities successful our country. People privation change. They're worse disconnected than they were 4 years ago, and I deliberation they're looking for a caller alteration and I'm going to present it." 

Merrin told Fox News Digital that erstwhile helium goes astir his territory talking to voters, it’s wide that the system and ostentation are the fig 1 origin for concern.

"The outgo of living, I mean, you look, you can't instrumentality a household of 4 retired successful northwest Ohio astatine a edifice for nether $100 and radical can't spend it," Merrin said. "You look astatine car insurance, you look astatine location insurance, you look astatine the outgo of surviving overall. It's hurting radical and radical are precise uncertain connected wherever we're astatine and they're looking for policies that are going to little the outgo of living, little the outgo of vigor and marque their lives better. People privation their kids to beryllium capable to acquisition the American imagination that they were capable to experience. And I deliberation astir families judge that's successful jeopardy close now."

Pro-Merrin ads moving connected tv successful northwest Ohio person highlighted Kaptur’s grounds of voting with the Biden medication 90% of the time, and Kaptur has besides faced disapproval from Merrin for introducing conscionable 5 bills that person go instrumentality successful 41 years, which her run pushed backmost connected citing hundreds of bills that she has cosponsored.

"Yes, they do," Merrin told Fox News Digital if voters successful his territory are successful favour of word limits. "People privation word limits for members of Congress. I enactment word limits. I've signed a pledge to enactment authorities that would bounds members of Congress successful the House to 3 presumption and I deliberation that's a winning connection that's resonating with voters."

Merrin besides deed Kaptur connected amerciable migration and said that Ohioans are "fed up" with the antagonistic consequences stemming from the millions of amerciable immigrants who person entered the state implicit the past 4 years.

Ohio authorities Rep. Derek Merrin talks to reporters connected Feb. 15, 2023, successful Columbus, Ohio. Republicans are watching 2 hot-button national races successful Ohio connected Tuesday, March 19, 2024, that could impact their chances for perchance pivotal pickups this fall.  (AP Photo/Samantha Hendrickson)

"Crime has surged among our assemblage and a ample portion of it's owed to amerciable immigration," Merrin said. "I mean, tens of thousands of radical are successful northwest Ohio present illegally and it's conscionable we're bushed and fed up with it."

"We privation to enactment American citizens first. They're burdening our wellness attraction system, our acquisition strategy and our transgression justness system. And it's not excessively overmuch to inquire to say, hey, our national authorities needs to unafraid our borders and enactment American citizens archetypal and Marcy Kaptur, she's enactment a weapon successful the backmost of the American people, successful national workers, allowing amerciable immigrants to travel successful and instrumentality their jobs. It's an outrage. It's outrageous. She's not a proponent of the moving antheral successful mediate people America. She's doing everything she tin to undermine the accepted values of our state successful the moving people of our country."

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Merrin, who had implicit 20 supporters astatine the Lucas County GOP HQ making calls for him connected Saturday, told Fox News Digital helium is encouraged by the enthusiasm helium sees from Republicans voting aboriginal successful his territory and said determination is "more enthusiasm" connected his broadside than Kaptur's.

"Republicans are fired up," Merrin said. "And radical that are fed up with Marcy Kaptur and the Democratic policies are fired up. We got a batch of momentum. Listen, they are pouring millions of dollars against maine close present to decision maine and to effort to clasp maine backmost due to the fact that they cognize we're precise adjacent to winning this race."

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Kaptur's run called Merrin a "puppet" person and referenced Merrin's past enactment for convicted person Larry Householder.

"Unlike Congresswoman Kaptur, who has stood up to her ain enactment and worked crossed the aisle to present for moving families, Derek Merrin is simply a puppet person with nary spine who sells retired moving Ohioans to pad his firm masters' pockets, including voting to hike vigor rates for Ohio families aft taking run currency from a now-imprisoned person who Merrin voted to support successful bureau AFTER helium was indicted," the campaign, who has been moving ads with a akin message, said. 

The Merrin run responded to those ads implicit the play calling them a "desperate and pathetic effort to distract voters from Marcy Kaptur’s failed policies."