Madison Sheahan, a former deputy director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resigned from the agency Thursday to run for Congress in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District and challenge longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the November election, the Associated Press reported.
Sheahan launched her bid in a video for the district, saying she had stopped more illegal immigration in less than a year on the ICE job than Kaptur had in 43 years in Washington. In the video, Sheahan also said, “In Washington, hypocrisy, excuses and failure can earn you a lifetime job,” adding, “But on my family farm, that would have put us out of business.”
The announcement comes as Republicans focus on preserving a narrow House majority in the fall, the AP said, noting that President Donald Trump has sought to avoid Democrats gaining control of the chamber again after his first presidency. The AP also reported that Trump’s actions have included candidate recruitment and efforts to pressure states to redraw congressional lines.
Sheahan is 28 and described herself as a “Trump conservative,” according to the AP. It said she is a native of Curtice, Ohio, near the shores of Lake Erie. Before Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tapped her for the ICE role in March, Sheahan served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and as Noem’s aide when Noem was governor of South Dakota.
In a resignation letter posted on the social media platform X, the AP reported that Sheahan thanked Noem and Trump for their “steadfast commitment” to the immigration agency and expressed pride in what ICE has accomplished.
In response, the Kaptur campaign issued a statement saying, “Voters are tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they’ve seen over the last year.” The statement added that voters want “a leader focused on affordability and real results,” and said Kaptur “consistently works across the aisle to deliver both.”
The AP said the district, which centers on Toledo, has been redrawn to increasingly favor Republicans. It reported that a bipartisan map approved last year gave Republicans nearly an 11-point advantage over Democrats for Kaptur’s seat, up from roughly a 9.5-point advantage in 2024.
In 2024, Kaptur defeated Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin by a narrow margin, with the AP reporting that the final result was 48.3% to 47.6%. The AP said it did not call the race until official results were entered more than two weeks after the election.
The Kaptur campaign statement hinted at “another ‘messy primary’ — like the one in 2024” — among Republicans seeking the chance to take her on in November, according to the AP.
The AP reported that Sheahan is the seventh Republican to announce a bid for the GOP nomination and that the field also includes Merrin. It said Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, who was considered a potentially top contender to defeat Kaptur, was removed as a contender last week when he was named Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s running mate.
Alongside the Republican contest, the AP reported that David Gedert, a Toledo-area entrepreneur described as running as a Libertarian, is also in the race.