Republican congressional candidate Derek Merrin says Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is misrepresenting her voting record on transgender athletes in women’s sports as she campaigns for reelection in Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District.
Merrin, who is challenging Kaptur, made the claim during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily, a program that airs weekdays on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Host Mike Slater asked Merrin about a Washington Post article describing Democrats in red states shifting rightward on transgender issues, noting that it featured Kaptur.
“Marcy Kaptur is a liar, and that’s what a lot of career politicians do when they’re in trouble,” Merrin said. “And she’s saying that now she’s against men playing women’s sports.”
Merrin said that position does not match Kaptur’s voting record. “She voted in Congress two times against a bill that would have prohibited that practice,” he said. “And then she’s also a six-time co-sponsor of the Radical Equality Act, which would allow men to play women’s sports and actually allow men into women’s restrooms and locker rooms.”
Kaptur has represented her Ohio district for 43 years. Her district is considered competitive for Republicans this cycle, and Merrin argued that her apparent shift on the issue is motivated by electoral concerns rather than a genuine change in belief.
“Politics. She wants to win,” Merrin said. “I think you know she realizes that, you know, probably five percent of the population believes men should be able to go into women’s restrooms, and about the same believe that men should be able to play, force their way onto women’s sport teams, but that’s what she believes. That’s who she truly is. She’s, she’s a radical, but she knows it’s a bad issue, and she’s trying to weasel a way out.”
Kaptur’s campaign was not quoted in the Breitbart News Daily segment responding to Merrin’s characterization of her record.
