NEW: Longtime Democrat Rep. Losing Grip On Key Seat, Poll Shows

Marcy Kaptur is locked in a dead heat with Republican Derek Merrin, according to Democrats’ own internal polling of Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Both candidates drew 48% support in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee survey, leaving just 4% of likely voters undecided heading into the November election.

The findings give neither candidate an edge, even as the same poll shows President Donald Trump’s approval rating deep in negative territory in the district.

Trump received 35% approval and 54% disapproval, a 19-percentage-point gap, according to the DCCC memo dated Sept. 29. The committee said he won the district by 11 points in 2024.

Merrin nevertheless matched Kaptur’s support in the head-to-head contest, keeping the Democratic incumbent in a tight fight to retain her seat following Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting.



POLL: Will You Support Trump And His Candidates In The Midterms?

The DCCC highlighted Kaptur’s backing among Democrats and independents as signs of strength. She has the support of 95% of Democratic voters and leads among independents, according to the memo, which did not disclose the independent vote breakdown.

The committee also said Marcy Kaptur is running ahead of both Democratic statewide candidates. It did not identify those candidates or provide their polling numbers.

Democrats portrayed the tie as evidence of Kaptur’s ability to outperform her party, pointing to her record and campaign focus on lowering costs and representing northwest Ohio.

The memo also sought to pin rising household expenses on Republicans, blaming the GOP for higher costs ranging from groceries and gasoline to health care and utility bills.

But the committee’s optimistic assessment came with a closely divided result: Kaptur and Merrin each fell short of majority support, with a small pool of undecided voters still up for grabs.

The DCCC Analytics Department surveyed 481 likely general election voters Sept. 22-23 using phone and text-to-web interviews. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

POLL: Should Ilhan Omar Be Deported If Found Guilty Of Immigration Fraud?

Continue reading...

[ H/T Trending Politics ]