#CampaignTrailFails: Ohioans Can’t Trust Derek Merrin

#CampaignTrailFails: Ohioans Can't Trust Derek Merrin

October 31, 2026

COLUMBUS, OH-As Ohioans get ready to head to the polls on November 3rd, Derek Merrin is showing Ohio voters once again that he is all wrong for Ohio's 9th congressional district. From unanswered questions on his connections to the FirstEnergy corruption scandal and voting to expand data center tax breaks to touting a "Made in America" agenda while making his own campaign merchandise in Bangladesh, Derek Merrin's campaign has not just been a series of unfortunate gaffes-it's been a remarkably consistent testament to his true loyalty to corporate special interests instead of Ohio working families.

Data Center Derek: As Ohioans call out Ohio Republicans for rolling out the red carpet for data centers in Ohio and raising electricity bills for Ohio families, Derek Merrin repeatedly refuses to answer Ohioans' questions on his record of voting to expand data center tax breaks and cashing checks from the big corporations tied to data centers down in the Statehouse. Now, Derek is raking in cash from Billionaire donors building data centers in Ohio, and even held a campaign event alongside a well-known "advocate for data centers" in Defiance.

For Derek, FirstEnergy Comes First: The "Team Householder" candidate Derek Merrin received $91,474 in FirstEnergy-linked donations between 2016 and 2024. This comes as Merrin faces scrutiny for voting in favor of FirstEnergy's billion-dollar bailout and voting against expelling Larry Householder following his federal indictment. What does Derek Merrin have to say about this? He declined to comment.

Running for Ohioans or away from them? From Dallas to Vandalia to Lima, Derek Merrin appeared to campaign everywhere but OH-09 while Rep. Marcy Kaptur campaigned across NW Ohio to talk to voters about her plans to lower costs for Ohio families, tackle corruption in Washington, and fight for working Ohioans in Congress. In a last-ditch effort to save his floundering campaign, he is now calling on Washington to send in "reinforcements" like House Speaker Mike Johnson (twice), Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Dr. Oz to try to win over voters-because Ohioans know he can't do it himself.

Best Friends with Billionaires: Trillionaire Elon Musk has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bail out Derek Merrin and attempt to defeat Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Derek Merrin has also taken thousands of dollars from billionaire data center financiers, showing Ohio voters where his true loyalties lie.

Made in…Bangladesh? Derek Merrin has pushed a "Made in America" agenda throughout his campaign, but there's just one problem: he sources his own campaign merchandise from Bangladesh.

Not a Fighter for Farmers: While Rep. Marcy Kaptur has fought to support our farmers and agricultural communities in Congress, Republican farmers are rejecting Derek Merrin and voting for Marcy because he has proven that he is not a champion for agriculture.

"Did Not Respond" Derek: Derek Merrin runs from Ohioans' questions because he knows he cannot answer for his record of voting to expand tax breaks for data centers and tens of thousands of dollars in donations linked to FirstEnergy.

• The Fremont News-Messenger: In Ohio congressional race, silence on FirstEnergy donations

"The largest bribery scandal in Ohio history haunts a local political race, and one candidate declined to comment on it. Republican Derek Merrin, running for U.S. Congress against Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur, received campaign donations linking him to FirstEnergy, but declined to get into the specifics with the News-Messenger."

• The Toledo Blade: Data centers emerge as campaign issue in races around Ohio

"Former Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin faces Ms. Kaptur in a competitive race. A spokesman for his campaign did not respond to requests for comment regarding what role, if any, the federal government should play in regulating the construction of hyperscale data centers."

• The Ohio Independent: House candidate Derek Merrin reports capital gains of at least $1,200 on Nvidia stock

"Merrin reported capital gains income between $1,001 and $2,500 from "Nvida" stock options, apparently a typo. Merrin also reported capital gains between $201 and $1,000 on Nvidia Corporation common stock. Merrin's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

• Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio's 9th Congressional district race: The candidates' records on data centers

"Merrin, who served four terms as an Ohio state representative for the Toledo district from 2016 to 2024, did not respond to the Ohio Capital Journal's questions for this story. Merrin received a $1,000 political donation from the American Electric Power Ohio Committee for Responsible Government in 2021. AEP had received more than $6 million in data center tax breaks in Ohio as of September 2024, according to Policy Matters Ohio. Merrin received a $500 political donation from Windstream Holdings' PAC in 2022. That same year, Windstream Holdings listed eight 'key data center locations' in Ohio."

• Tiffin Ohio: Derek Merrin voted to widen data center tax breaks, then took cash from companies tied to the boom

"Derek Merrin voted to widen Ohio's data center tax break in 2017. In the years that followed, the money came back to him from companies collecting it… Merrin did not respond to the Capital Journal's questions for its Aug. 10 story on the race. A local outlet covering his primary win noted he had not answered a single question or responded to a single inquiry during the campaign."

• Reuters: Democrats try to ride data center backlash to election victory in rural US Midwest

"In a statement, Kaptur linked data centers to rising utility costs and wider concerns about corporate influence. 'Politicians are letting these companies pass the costs of their enormous energy and utility demands onto Ohio ratepayers, then handing them billions in tax breaks to sweeten the deal,' she said. Residential electricity bills in Defiance rose 10% to 15% in June from a year earlier, according to utility FirstEnergy. Merrin did not respond to requests for comment."

• The Toledo Blade: House Speaker Mike Johnson visits Lucas County to rally support for Derek Merrin

"Unlike his Defiance visit, neither Mr. Merrin nor Mr. Johnson took questions from the media following Wednesday's event."

• Spectrum News: Ohio Republican promotes "Made in America" agenda-but his campaign T-shirts were made in Bangladesh

"At a press gaggle this week, Merrin did not answer directly when Spectrum News brought up the Gildan campaign T-shirts and asked what standard candidates who push a 'Made in America' agenda should be held to when it comes to their own campaigns."

• Punchbowl News: Marcy Kaptur bullish on defying GOP redraw

"Merrin declined an interview."

• Sandusky Register: Kaptur touts local record

"The Register contacted Merrin's campaign repeatedly in an attempt to interview him about his campaign but was unable to obtain an interview."

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