The Case Against Derek Merrin

“Marcy Kaptur has never forgotten where she came from. She is a proven champion for the Midwest, standing up to special interests in Washington to make government work for working people. While Marcy has spent her life fighting for middle-class families, Derek Merrin has spent his career fighting for lobbyists and special interests. It’s why he co-sponsored anti-worker legislation to weaken local labor, sold out his constituents to bail out his donors, and backed a near-total abortion ban that would imprison doctors and women. Voters will reject him at the ballot box and once again reelect a true daughter of Northwest Ohio,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene. 

—

To: Interested Parties
From: Aidan Johnson
Date: March 19, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Derek Merrin

Still living in the same Toledo home where she was born and raised, Marcy Kaptur has dedicated her life to fighting for Ohio. In Congress, she battled on the frontlines against unfair trade deals — standing up to her own party and special interests to defend Ohio workers.

Marcy believes that government should be for and by the people, not the corporate interests that have hollowed out America’s heartland. It’s why she is a steadfast advocate for organized labor and workers’ rights, particularly against those who’ve sought to weaken labor laws. And it’s why she is fighting for high-wage jobs, a workforce to meet the needs of the 21st century, and a government that protects Ohioans’ fundamental freedoms.

In this Congress alone, Marcy has secured almost $14 million for a new battery assembly plant in Toledo, nearly $50 million for new roads and bridges to connect the district, nearly $11 million for the Napoleon, Defiance, and Western Railway, and more than $16 million for Toledo-area solar companies.

A uniquely bipartisan dealmaker who has no interest in petty partisan games, Marcy will always reach across the aisle if it improves the lives of her constituents because she works for working people, not Washington.

The same cannot be said for the leader of Ohio’s chaos caucus, Derek Merrin.

After a chaotic, ugly, and expensive GOP primary, Derek Merrin has emerged bruised, battered, and broke. A self-serving, anti-worker, anti-choice, power-hungry politician, Merrin is willing to endanger his constituents to enrich himself. In his quest for power, Merrin weakened local unions and workers’ rights just to please corporate special interests. Merrin is an anti-choice extremist who wants to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. As part of his war on women’s rights, he went so far as to co-sponsor legislation that would imprison women for having an abortion.

Given the choice between Marcy’s long list of accomplishments and Derek Merrin’s dangerous record, voters in Northwest Ohio are poised to once again send a true fighter for working people back to Congress.

Merrin Is A Corrupt, Self-Serving, Power Hungry Politician  

During his time in the Ohio Statehouse, Derek Merrin has repeatedly put the interests of his donors and political allies ahead of Ohioans. Merrin — a landlord who received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from real estate interests — proposed legislation to remove mandatory lead pipe testing for rental properties. He introduced the amendment after a law was unanimously passed by the Toledo City Council to require lead pipe inspections before landlords could lease units to unsuspecting families.

Local elected officials, city authorities in Toledo, and health and child welfare experts opposed Merrin’s amendment. The Toledo mayor claimed Merrin was “trying to give himself, and other landlords, safe harbor to keep unsafe and unregulated rental properties in the market” in an “attempt to put profits ahead of the health of children” To this day, Merrin has stood by his “shameful” amendment, claiming that it’s “the only legislative solution.”

On another occasion, Merrin introduced legislation that would make it easier to evict families during the holidays in what was “a blatant kowtow to landlord interests.” A number of his Republican colleagues were left wondering “why are we doing this around Christmas?”

Merrin Sold Out Northwest Ohio To His Corrupt, Criminal Donors

A convicted criminal, a nuclear power plant operator, and a self-serving politician walk into a bar. Sounds like the start of a good joke, but it’s no laughing matter for Ohioans. Following the FirstEnergy bribery scandal that rocked the Ohio Statehouse, Merrin worked to protect his then-largest donor Larry Householder, the former, now criminally convicted, speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Not only did Merrin vote for a $1.3 billion bailout for FirstEnergy, but when the disgraced speaker was indicted for accepting “nearly $61 million in bribes,” Merrin “showed his gratitude by voting not to expel the speaker even after his arrest.”

How much did it cost Merrin to sell out his constituents in Northwest Ohio?

Merrin also has some eyebrow-raising ties to former Speaker Householder, who is serving 20 years in prison after being convicted in a $60 million bribery case. Before the scandal broke, Merrin had taken upwards of $17,000 between Householder’s dark money Growth & Opportunity PAC and his official committee. [The Daily Beast, 1/30/24]

Thanks to Merrin, many Ohioans saw insult added to injury as their electricity bills doubled and they were forced to bail out Merrin’s donor by subsidizing their reckless, dangerous, and antiquated power plants.

Time and time again, Marcy has stood up to the special interests. She has long supported campaign-finance transparency and reform, as well as high ethical standards for elected officials. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in her decades-long fight to kick corporate influence out of our elections in order to restore Americans’ faith in the democratic process. Merrin has lobbyists in his corner, Marcy has the people of Northwest Ohio. It’s not a fair fight.

Merrin Is In The Pocket Of Anti-Worker Special Interests 

Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District is a blue-collar, working-class district with deep roots in the labor movement, but Merrin repeatedly sided with special interests that are focused on hollowing out the heartland.

One part of Merrin’s anti-worker agenda is right-to-work legislation intended to weaken the power of unions. Right-to-work laws rob American workers of their voice, blunt their ability to bargain for better pay, drive down wages, and concentrate power into the hands of companies. Even Merrin’s Republican colleagues were concerned about his support for right-to-work legislation.

In fact, Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville), one of the 22 GOP House members who broke for Stephens, is quoted in a text message obtained by OPN as saying, “Merrin is bad for me. He was planning on doing [right to work] & prevailing wage bills.” When OPN asked Patton about his text message (before he knew it had been obtained), the lawmaker said, “Those are your words.” Once confronted with the text message he admitted his statement and added, “I said bad for me [that includes my district and constituency].” [The Ohio Press Network, 2/9/23]

Unfortunately for Merrin, voters in Ohio have rejected right-to-work legislation and the out-of-touch efforts of politicians like him who want to deny workers a seat at the table.

On multiple occasions, Merrin tried to cut the number of paid sick days for government employees. As Waterville Mayor, he cut the number of paid sick days from 18 to 10. As a state legislator he sponsored a bill to reduce annual sick leave for school districts and local public employees, arguing that as little as “two days” was often the private sector standard. The AFL-CIO called his bill “an attack on public employees collective bargaining rights.” When supporters of Merrin’s bill were given a chance to testify on his behalf, “no one showed up.”

Ohioans want a champion who will protect workers’ rights and they already have one in Marcy Kaptur. Marcy was raised in a blue-collar family where she learned the importance of workers’ rights as a child with her parents in the union halls and brought those values to the halls of Congress. When members in her own party voted for NAFTA, she opposed the trade deal because it was bad for workers in Northwest Ohio. When the Jeep plant in Toledo nearly shuttered its operation, Marcy secured vital funding to save those jobs. And when UAW workers went on strike, she stood with them in solidarity for fair pay, job security, health care, and retirement benefits. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk.

Merrin Is An Anti-Choice Extremist

Derek Merrin is responsible for some of the most extreme anti-choice legislation in Ohio, leading the attack on reproductive freedom. As chair of the Ohio House Health Committee, Merrin “shepherded” the state’s six week abortion ban, which became law in the wake of the Dobbs decision. However, the anti-choice extremist did not believe that the six week ban went far enough. Prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, he co-sponsored a total abortion ban from the moment of conception, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The legislation would criminalize people who sell or manufacture the safe and common abortion medications Mifepristone and Misoprostol.

But that’s not all – he also championed a total abortion ban that could punish doctors and women with life in prison if they received or performed an abortion. That same legislation had no exceptions for rape or incest and would require doctors to re-implant ectopic pregnancies — a procedure that does “not exist in medical science.”

In addition to promoting dangerous and experimental medical procedures for women, Merrin also poses a serious threat to IVF. The extremist has co-sponsored legislation that could leave millions of women without access to fertility treatments needed to start or grow their families.

Last November, voters in OH-09 overwhelmingly (56%) supported a ballot measure to codify reproductive rights in the state’s constitution and reject Merrin’s bill, but with Republicans in Washington hellbent on a national abortion ban, Ohioans cannot afford to be represented by an anti-choice extremist who has led efforts to roll back the rights voters fought so hard to protect.

Merrin Is A Threat To Lake Erie 

Whether it’s drinking water, fishing and tourism industries, or preserving the beautiful coastline, the health of Lake Erie is critical to Northwest Ohio’s economy. That’s why, in Congress, Marcy has secured vital funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Meanwhile, Merrin voted against a bipartisan bill to address pollution and Lake Erie algae blooms caused by sediment dumping. An estimated 55% of the dredged sediment came from the Toledo Harbor near Merrin’s district. Despite the bill passing with unanimous consent in the State Senate, Merrin was one of only 10 no votes when it reached the House.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Fremont News Messenger: Kaptur announces $21M USDA loan for rural broadband in Sandusky and Ottawa counties [Fremont News Messenger, 6/12/23]

WTOL: ‘This is the backbone of America’: Marcy visits picket lines at Toledo Jeep Assembly Complex [WTOL, 9/16/23]

The Toledo Blade: NW Ohio shortline railroad gets $10.8M federal grant [The Toledo Blade, 11/13/23]

Heartland Signal: In Ohio congressional race, GOP backs a candidate who advocated against lead pipe inspections [Heartland Signal, 1/11/24]

The National Republican Congressional Committee has turned to Derek Merrin, a state representative and real estate investor who once proposed legislation to remove mandatory lead pipe testing for rental properties in Ohio cities, in the state’s Ninth Congressional District race.

In 2017, the northwest Ohio representative introduced an amendment to the state budget which would have stripped cities of the authority to test water pipes for lead. The amendment came after a law was unanimously passed by the Toledo City Council to require certain buildings to pass lead pipe inspections before landlords could lease units to tenants.

Associated Press: High-stakes GOP congressional primary in Ohio takes voters, Republicans on a roller coaster ride [Associated Press, 3/1/24]

In 2019, both Merrin and Riedel were co-sponsors of legislation that would have declared performing or having an abortion a felony, punishable by 15 years to life in prison. 

The Daily Beast: How This Nutty Ohio Primary Is Dividing the GOP [The Daily Beast, 1/30/24]

Merrin also has some eyebrow-raising ties to former Speaker Householder, who is serving 20 years in prison after being convicted in a $60 million bribery case. Before the scandal broke, Merrin had taken upwards of $17,000 between Householder’s dark money Growth & Opportunity PAC and his official committee.

After Householder was arrested, Merrin was one of 20 Republicans who voted against expelling the former speaker from the legislature in 2021.

Cleveland.com: Ohio legislature could become even more conservative under House Speaker-elect Derek Merrin [Cleveland.com, 11/23/22]

In the legislature, Merrin introduced a number of bills and amendments affecting landlords like himself, including proposals to speed up eviction deadlines and prohibit local governments from enacting their own anti-lead poisoning rules. He has signed on to other legislation championed by the right as well, including cosponsoring:

• A “right-to-work” bill that would prohibit private-sector union membership as a condition of employment

• A number of anti-abortion bills, including multiple proposals to pass a near-total abortion ban in Ohio.

PATH TO VICTORY

Marcy Kaptur is a true daughter of Northwest Ohio and became a household name after she helped lead bipartisan efforts to save the American auto industry and ensure thousands of local auto workers were able to keep their jobs at Jeep. Marcy’s undisputed bipartisan brand, fighter spirit, and ability to outwork her opponents helps explain her 13-point victory in a Trump +3 district in 2022, and she is prepared to do it again in 2024. While Derek Merrin has been embroiled in a chaotic and expensive Republican primary, Marcy has been building an impressive campaign warchest and delivering for her constituents by focusing on the issues that matter most: creating good-paying jobs and bringing economic relief to working families.

Marcy has consistently overperformed the top of the ticket, and in the 2022 midterm election, was the best-performing Democrat in any Trump-won congressional district in the country. Coupled with the continued growth of suburban Perrysburg south of Toledo, Marcy is well-positioned to once again win an historic reelection.

Above all else, Marcy will win reelection because voters know she is someone they can trust. Consistently placing people over politics is why voters have reelected her year after year. Go anywhere or talk to anyone in Ohio’s 9th Congressional district and they can talk about a small business, a factory, a trades school, a railway, or a veterans’ health care clinic that still stands because Marcy ensures that Northwest Ohio isn’t overlooked.

From her powerful position on the House Appropriations Committee, Marcy has been able to leverage her seniority and experience to secure vital investments in the region — bringing billions of dollars back to Ohio to create jobs, spur economic growth, rebuild infrastructure, and expand resources for our veterans and military.

The special interests and corporate lobbyists may throw millions of dollars behind Derek Merrin, but this November he will suffer the same fate as every other anti-worker extremist who has tried and failed to take on Marcy Kaptur.

###