Columbus, Ohio — The suspension of a troubled congressional campaign in northwest Ohio has eased the minds of establishment Republicans hoping they can flip a Democratic seat this fall by defeating the longest-serving woman in Congress.
Former Republican candidate JR Majewski paused his campaign Saturday, just three days after insisting he would remain in the race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. The reversal was the latest twist in a rollercoaster of a Republican primary for the seat long held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
Kaptur, 77, who has been in Congress since 1983, is seen as one of the most vulnerable House Democrats in the country this year. Two years ago she defeated Majewski by 13 points.
“It’s been a great ride,” Majewski declared on X, formerly known as Twitter, as he left the race and vowed to focus his energy on electing Donald Trump this fall.
Majewski suggested his opponents were preparing to resurface reports from 2022 about his military service, which would have led to new pressure he faced over comments he made on a podcast disparaging Special Olympics athletes. A new Ohio Truth PAC planned $373,000 in attack ads against Majewski, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
“JR Majewski’s decision puts the team first, allowing Republicans to unite and focus on defeating Marcy Kaptur,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. “Now Marcy Kaptur’s retirement announcement is in the mail.”
However, unity is not yet the right word. Republican loyalty remains divided between the camps of state Rep. Derek Merrin, a late entrant backed by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, and former state Rep. Craig Riedel, who still enjoys the support of pro-Trump U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and others key Republicans in the area.
Merrin was recruited after comments came to light in which Riedel criticized Trump as “arrogant” and said he might not support him. This was seen as deeply damaging in a state that has twice strongly supported Trump as president, although Riedel has recently taken steps to brand himself as a Trump supporter. The confrontation was one of several Johnson discussed with Trump during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in February.
Both Merrin and Riedel are seen by party leadership as more viable than Majewski versus Kaptur in a general election contest. Still, Majewski’s late departure from the game complicates matters.
Early elections have been underway in Ohio for weeks, in what appears to be a low-turnout election. Majewski had amassed significant conservative star power that he believed positioned him as the frontrunner. That included endorsements from Trump-backed U.S. Sen. JD Vance, Gen. Michael Flynn, Rep. Matt Gaetz and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
As of Monday, his name was still on the ballots and Majewski had not yet filed paperwork to withdraw his candidacy, according to the Lucas County Board of Elections. He has already entered and exited the race twice, raising questions about whether this decision is final.
In addition to Riedel and Merrin, former mayor Steve Lankenau is also competing for the nomination.