ICE deputy director Sheahan resigns to challenge Kaptur in Ohio's 9th

Madison Sheahan, 28, resigned Thursday as deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to seek the Republican nomination for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, targeting Democratic incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 79, the longest-serving woman in Congress. Sheahan, who was appointed to the ICE post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and previously served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, described herself in a campaign launch video as “a Trump conservative” and said she had stopped more illegal immigration in less than a year than Kaptur had in 43 years in Washington.

The 9th District race is emerging as one of the more closely watched House contests of the 2026 midterm cycle. A bipartisan redistricting map approved last year gave Republicans a nearly 11-point registration advantage over Democrats in the Lake Erie-hugging district centered on Toledo — up from roughly 9.5 points in 2024, when Kaptur defeated Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin by fewer than a percentage point in a result the Associated Press did not call until more than two weeks after election day.

Madison Sheahan, the deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resigned Thursday to run for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, entering one of the most competitive House races of the 2026 midterm cycle and setting up a challenge to Democratic incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in Congress.

Sheahan, 28, a native of Curtice, Ohio — a small community on the Lake Erie shore — launched her campaign with a video in which she described herself as “a Trump conservative” and drew a direct contrast with the 79-year-old Kaptur.

“In Washington, hypocrisy, excuses and failure can earn you a lifetime job,” Sheahan said in the video. “But on my family farm, that would have put us out of business.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appointed Sheahan to the ICE post in March. Before that, Sheahan served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and as an aide to Noem during her tenure as governor of South Dakota. In a resignation letter posted to X on Thursday, Sheahan thanked Noem and President Donald Trump for their “steadfast commitment” to the immigration agency.

The district and what Kaptur faces

Kaptur has represented northwestern Ohio for 43 years and is accustomed to increasingly difficult terrain. A bipartisan redistricting map approved last year produced boundaries that give Republicans a nearly 11-point registration advantage over Democrats in the Lake Erie-hugging district centered on Toledo — up from a roughly 9.5-point advantage in 2024.

In 2024, Kaptur defeated Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin by such a narrow margin — 48.3% to 47.6% — that the Associated Press did not call the race until official results were entered, more than two weeks after election day.

In a statement Thursday, the Kaptur campaign said voters were “tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they’ve seen over the last year” and wanted “a leader focused on affordability and real results,” adding that Kaptur “consistently works across the aisle to deliver both.” The campaign’s statement also hinted at the possibility of another contested Republican primary shaping up.

A crowded GOP field

Sheahan is the seventh Republican to announce a bid for the party’s nomination. The field also includes Merrin, who ran in 2024.

Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, whom observers considered among the stronger potential challengers to Kaptur, exited the race last week after he was named the running mate of Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

On the Libertarian side, David Gedert, a Toledo-area entrepreneur who performs under the drag name Sugar Vermonte, has also announced a bid for the seat.

Trump has made candidate recruitment and congressional map-drawing central to his effort to preserve Republicans’ narrow House majority in the 2026 midterms — a majority that, if lost, could produce a repeat of the dynamic in his first term, when Democrats won the chamber and went on to impeach him twice.