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United States House of Representatives
Derek Merrin
U.S. Representative OH-09 (2026 R Candidate · challenger to Kaptur · 2024 nominee + former state rep) · WON 5/5 R primary — R nominee vs Kaptur (2024 rematch)
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
97
/ 100
A
Raw: 74 of 76 dynamic max
· 38 of 50 answered
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
52/ 60
🇺🇸 America First
22/ 40
National Rank
#3,299 of 8,966 · top 36.8% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
💡 U.S. Capitol switchboard — ask for Representative Derek Merrin.
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
November 3, 2026
General · Seat up at next election
— until
Registration deadline: 2026-10-05
Early voting: 2026-10-06 – 2026-11-01
Elections office: (614) 466-2655
Voter status: Check registration
State elections site: Ohio Secretary of State — Elections Division
Official Profile
Former Ohio state representative. 2024 R nominee against Marcy Kaptur (lost narrowly). Running again in 2026 to challenge Kaptur in OH-09 — one of the most competitive D-held R-target districts.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has voted for or actively advocates abortion abolition (not merely restrictions)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
TRUE (+2)
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
TRUE (+2)
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
TRUE (+2)
Candidate rejects transgender ideology and affirms biological sex (male/female) as immutable and God-given
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in public policy, schools, military, and corporate-government partnerships
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports universal school choice, homeschool freedom, and opposes compulsory public-school attendance
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Spearheaded Ohio's universal EdChoice school-voucher expansion in the 2023-24 state budget, opening state-funded school choice to every K-12 student regardless of household income — a direct parental-rights and educational-freedom policy.
- BallotpediaCenter
- statenews.orgUnclassified
Candidate supports parental notification and consent on all medical, mental-health, and gender-related interventions for minors
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes CRT, SOGI, "comprehensive sex ed," and gender-ideology curricula in K-12 public schools
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports age-verification on pornographic content and criminal penalties for sexualized content marketed to minors
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
TRUE (+2)
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes compelled speech against Christian conviction (pronoun mandates, gospel-proclamation hate-speech laws)
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports public-square Christian symbols, prayer in public bodies, and Sabbath/Sunday closure protections
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays, curricula, or holidays in public institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and supports cash and decentralized crypto as legal tender
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes deficit spending and supports a balanced-budget constitutional amendment
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes WEF/ESG/Davos economic capture and supports anti-trust action against monopolistic financial cartels
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports hand-counted paper ballots and opposes electronic voting machines
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Played a key legislative role in passing Ohio's photo ID voting requirement (enacted January 2023), co-authoring the law that mandates government-issued ID at the polls — consistent with the rubric's voter-ID standard for election integrity.
- BallotpediaCenter
- ideastream.orgUnclassified
Candidate supports photo voter ID with citizenship verification
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes private election funding ("Zuckerbucks") and foreign-government election interference
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports mandatory deportation of all illegal aliens, including those who entered as minors
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes sanctuary city/state policies and supports federal preemption against them
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Played a lead role in enacting Ohio's permitless (constitutional) carry law (2022), which allows any law-abiding Ohioan 21+ to carry a concealed handgun without a government license — firmly aligning with the constitutional-carry standard.
- BallotpediaCenter
- derekmerrin.comUnclassified
Candidate opposes red-flag laws, magazine limits, "assault weapons" bans, and gun registries
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
TRUE (+2)
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports Article I congressional war-powers requirement before any U.S. military action
Not yet verified
Candidate supports immediate withdrawal from forever wars and repeal of standing AUMFs
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes foreign aid to nations hostile to U.S. interests or actively persecuting Christians
Not yet verified
Candidate has never accepted donations from foreign-backed lobbies (e.g., AIPAC) or foreign-linked PACs
FALSE (0)
Candidate opposes U.S. participation in WHO, U.N. governance overreach, NATO expansion, and supranational governance
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes pharmaceutical mandates of any kind (COVID, childhood, employer-required) and supports informed consent
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of pharma liability shields (1986 NCVIA, PREP Act) and restoration of tort accountability
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes Big Ag consolidation (Bayer/Monsanto/Cargill) and supports anti-trust action against agricultural cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate supports raw-milk freedom, small-farm protections, and opposes USDA / EPA overreach against family farms
TRUE (+2)
Candidate supports defense-contractor accountability, completion of Pentagon audits, and ending revolving-door appointments
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
1 Center1 Other
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
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