2026 House race
Ohio 9th District
Toss Up Cook Political Report, as of October 16, 2026
Campaigns through 2026-09-30Outside money through 2026-10-18Source: FEC
The short version
- Marcy Kaptur has raised $5.6M to Derek Merrin's $2.1M (2.7x), through September 30, 2026.
- Outside groups have reported $8.4M in general election spending: $5.0M helping the Democrat and $3.4M helping the Republican.
- Largest outside spender: HMP, $3.0M opposing Derek Merrin.
Campaign money
Marcy Kaptur
- Raised
- $5.6M
- Spent
- $4.8M
- Cash on hand
- $1.2M
- From PACs
- $1.4M
- From individuals
- $3.2M
- Self funding
- $0
- Outside money for (general)
- $5.0M
Campaign totals through September 30, 2026.
Derek Merrin
- Raised
- $2.1M
- Spent
- $1.4M
- Cash on hand
- $807K
- From PACs
- $243K
- From individuals
- $719K
- Self funding
- $310K
- Outside money for (general)
- $3.4M
Campaign totals through September 30, 2026.
Outside spending
Not included above: $98K in outside spending that filers reported for the primary, a runoff, or no specific election, involving these two nominees.
Biggest outside spenders, general election
| Spender | Position | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| HMP | Oppose Derek Merrin | $3.0M |
| Safety & Affordability PAC Inc. | Support Derek Merrin | $1.2M |
| Club for Growth Action | Oppose Marcy Kaptur | $706K |
| American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees P E O P L E | Support Marcy Kaptur | $584K |
| AB PAC | Support Marcy Kaptur | $364K |
| Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) dba CVA Action and dba Libre Action | Support Derek Merrin | $360K |
| No Going Back PAC Inc. | Support Derek Merrin | $323K |
| Cffe PAC | Support Marcy Kaptur | $306K |
| HMP | Support Marcy Kaptur | $299K |
| New American Jobs Fund | Support Marcy Kaptur | $279K |
| Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) dba CVA Action and dba Libre Action | Oppose Marcy Kaptur | $258K |
| No Going Back PAC Inc. | Oppose Marcy Kaptur | $227K |
| Club for Growth Action | Support Derek Merrin | $137K |
| Progressive Turnout Project | Support Marcy Kaptur | $128K |
| America PAC | Oppose Marcy Kaptur | $73K |
Where the outside money came from
For the biggest spenders, the money is followed upstream while a single donor supplied at least half of it. From FEC receipts.
- Cffe PAC ← $2.0M from Pivotal Ventures (55% of its reported receipts) No donor disclosure
These totals come from the 24 and 48 hour notices outside groups must file before ads run. They are the disclosed floor. Spending by groups that do not file independent expenditure notices, such as issue ads paid for by 501(c)(4) groups, does not appear here.
Top PAC donors to each campaign
D Marcy Kaptur
Itemized PAC contributions processed by the FEC through June 30, 2026. 317 PACs in total.
R Derek Merrin
Itemized PAC contributions processed by the FEC through June 30, 2026. 39 PACs in total.
Primary Sources
- FEC candidate page, Marcy Kaptur: fec.gov/data/candidate/H2OH09031
- FEC committee filings, Marcy Kaptur principal campaign committee: C00154625
- FEC candidate page, Derek Merrin: fec.gov/data/candidate/H4OH09169
- FEC committee filings, Derek Merrin principal campaign committee: C00909630
- FEC independent expenditures, 2026 cycle: fec.gov independent expenditures
- Race rating: Cook Political Report, October 16, 2026
- Nominees: www.nbcnews.com