Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s Trump-endorsed rival said he called the veteran Ohio congresswoman to concede defeat in the 2024 election. In a video posted Friday to X, formerly Twitter, state Rep. Derek Merrin did not rule out running for Kaptur’s seat again in two years, but he said his immediate plans were to rest and recharge with his family. The $23 million race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District wasn't settled until Wednesday, when official results showed Kaptur beat Merrin by about 2,300 votes, or 0.7% of the vote. That narrowly averted an automatic recount. Merrin called it “mainly a fair fight” and said he accepts the results.
