Marcy Kaptur | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's9th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Weber |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marcia Carolyn Kaptur (1946-06-17)June 17, 1946 (age 79) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) University of Michigan (MUP) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (attended) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Marcia Carolyn Kaptur (/ˈkæptər/KAP-tər; born June 17, 1946) is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forOhio's 9th congressional district since 1983. A member of theDemocratic Party, she is thelongest-serving woman in congressional history and has served as the dean ofOhio's congressional delegation since 2009. Her district stretches acrossnorthwestern Ohio along the southern shore ofLake Erie and includes parts ofToledo and surrounding communities.[1]
Born in Toledo,Ohio, Kaptur earned a degree in history from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison and a master’s degree in urban planning from theUniversity of Michigan. Before her election to Congress, she worked as an urban planner in Toledo and served as a domestic policy advisor on urban affairs in theCarter administration.
Kaptur serves on theHouse Appropriations andBudget Committees and introduced legislation which established theNational World War II Memorial. She is considered aneconomic populist[2] and opposed theNorth American Free Trade Agreement and otherfree trade agreements, voted against thefederal bailout of major banks during the2008 financial crisis, and sought to influence the Democratic Party leadership and policy to focus on working-class priorities.
Kaptur was born on June 17, 1946, inToledo, Ohio, to Anastasia Delores (Rogowski) and Stephen Jacob Kaptur.[3] Both of her parents were ofPolish descent. Her paternal grandparents came from the town ofŻnin in present-dayPoland, while her maternal grandparents, the Rogowskis, were from the area ofPolonne, now located inUkraine'sKhmelnytskyi Oblast.[4] Her family ran a small grocery store inRossford, and her mother was an automobile union organizer.[5] Kaptur became involved in politics at an early age, volunteering with theOhio Democratic Party when she was 13.[6]
She graduated fromSt. Ursula Academy, an all-girls Catholic preparatory school, in 1964[7] and was the first person in her family to attend college.[8] She received her undergraduate degree in history from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in 1968[5] and aMaster of Urban Planning from theUniversity of Michigan in 1974.[9] She began doctoral studies in urban planning development finance at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981.[10]
Kaptur began her career in urban planning, working as an urban planner on the Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions from 1969 to 1975.[7] During this time period, she stayed active in localDemocratic politics, volunteering forHubert Humphrey’s1968 presidential campaign and later helpingGeorge McGovern carryLucas County in the1972 presidential election, one of only two counties in Ohio to do so.[11]
In 1975, she became director of planning for the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs, a Washington-based organization founded by Catholic priestGeno Baroni, where she worked until 1977.[11] Afterwards, she joined theCarter administration as a domestic policy advisor on urban affairs and helped advance several housing and neighborhood revitalization bills throughCongress.[6] Following her time inWashington D.C., Kaptur went to Massachusetts to do graduate work.[12]
In 1982, while pursuing her doctorate degree, Kaptur was recruited by local Democratic leaders to run for Congress inOhio's9th district in themidterm elections.[10] The seat was held by freshmanRepublicanEd Weber, who had unseated 26-year incumbentLud Ashley two years earlier.[13] Initially considered a long shot, Kaptur entered the race after encouragement fromGeno Baroni[5] and party officials who had struggled to find a viable challenger.[6]
Kaptur returned to Ohio fromMassachusetts, withdrawing from her doctoral program and driving through a snowstorm to begin campaigning.[11] Her campaign gained attention for its grassroots style, including raising $10,000 through bake sales,[11] a strategy that became a hallmark of her early political efforts.[14] Amid anational recession duringPresident Reagan's first term and rising unemployment inLucas County,[11] Kaptur focused her campaign on local economic decline and criticized Weber's support for thefree trade policies of theReagan Administration.[6] She connected with working-class voters by emphasizingeconomic populism and cultural familiarity, once servingkielbasa made from her father's recipe at a rally.[11]
Despite receiving little support from the national Democratic Party, which had largely written off the district, Kaptur benefited from encouragement by RepresentativesShirley Chisholm andMary Rose Oakar.[8] Though outspent nearly three to one,[5] she won the election with 58% of the vote.[15] Kaptur later credited her victory to her strong ties to the local community. After the election, she recalled how theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had provided no support during the race, sent her a belated $5,000 contribution.[8]
In 1984 for her re-election, Kaptur faced a strong challenge from Republican Frank Venner, a longtime news anchor atWTVG,[16] but defeated him 55–44%,[17] even as Ronald Reagan carried the district. From 1986 to 2002, she won every election with at least 74% of the vote.[5] She won her 12th term in 2004 with 68% of the vote, and again secured 74% in both 2006 and 2008.[5]
Kaptur's electoral margins began to narrow in the 2010s, reflecting growing political competitiveness in the region. Shortly after achieving fame during the 2008 election, conservative figureSamuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher announced that he was considering challenging Kaptur in the 2010 election,[18][19][20] but chose not to run. Kaptur was instead challenged by RepublicanRich Iott, aTea Party movement favorite. She was reelected to a 15th term with 59% of the vote,[21] her closest victory since 1984.[5]
For her first three decades in Congress, Kaptur represented a compact district centered around Toledo. Redistricting after the 2010 census extended the 9th district to westernCleveland. The new map for the 2012 elections put the home of incumbent10th district congressmanDennis Kucinich into the 9th, so they ran against each other in the Democratic primary. Graham Veysey, a small-business owner from Cleveland, also ran in the primary. Retaining over 60% of her former territory, Kaptur won the primary with 56% of the vote to Kucinich's 40%.[22][23] In the general election, she won a 16th term against Wurzelbacher andLibertarian Sean Stipe with 73% of the vote.[24] The reconfigured 9th was no less Democratic than its predecessor, and Kaptur had effectively clinched reelection by defeating Kucinich in the primary.
Kaptur's 2014 opponent was Richard May, a longtime Republican activist from west Cleveland, who beat Lakewood resident Robert C. Horrocks Jr. in the May 6 primary.[25] Kaptur won 68–32%.[5] Kaptur's 2016 opponent was Donald Larson, who defeated Steven Kraus and Joel Lieske in the Republican primary on March 15. Kaptur won 68–31%.[5]
In the 2020s, Kaptur's district shifted from a reliably Democratic seat to aswing district. Her 2020 opponent was Rob Weber, who defeated Charles W. Barrett, Tim Connors, and Timothy P. Corrigan in the Republican primary on March 17. Kaptur won 63–37%.
Following the2020 census, redistricting shifted the 9th district westward, incorporating much of the strongly Republican5th district. While PresidentJoe Biden carried the old district with 59% of the vote, the new district would have narrowly favoredDonald Trump with 51%. Despite the unfavorable shift, Kaptur defeated Republican nomineeJ.R. Majewski in 2022 by a comfortable margin of 56.6% to 43.4%.[26]
In 2024, she faced an extremely close race against state representativeDerek Merrin, who was endorsed by Trump.[27] Kaptur won reelection by less than one percentage point at 48.3% to Merrin's 47.6%,[28] which marked the first time in her political career that she failed to secure a majority of the vote.[5]
Kaptur took office on January 3, 1983.[29] At the time, she became the first woman to representOhio's 9th congressional district[30] and was one of 24 women serving inCongress.[31] In her first term, she was appointed to theBanking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee as well as theVeterans’ Affairs Committee.[32] During the 1980s, she developed a good working relationship with SpeakerJim Wright, who later appointed her as vice chair of a task force on trade and to the DemocraticSteering and Policy Committee. In her fourth term, she gained a position on theBudget Committee and afterwards secured a seat on theAppropriations Committee.[32]
In 1987, Kaptur introduced theWorld War II Memorial Act in the House.[33] The bill authorized theAmerican Battle Monuments Commission to establish a World War II memorial. It was not voted on before the end of the session and so failed to be enacted. Kaptur introduced similar legislation twice in 1989 but these bills also failed to become law.[34] Kaptur introduced legislation for the fourth time in 1993. This time the legislation was voted on and passed in the House. After a companion bill was passed in theUnited States Senate, PresidentBill Clinton signed the bill into law.[35] Kaptur later said that she felt "a great sense of fulfillment" that the memorial was built. "This generation was the most unselfish America has ever seen," she said. "They never asked anybody for anything in return."[36]
In 1993, Kaptur strongly opposed the signing of theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).[11] She said that thetrade agreement would result in widespread job losses as companies outsourced work to lower-wage Mexico. Following NAFTA, she also objected to theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the establishment of theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.[32] Kaptur expressed concern that free trade agreements would undermine U.S. economic interests and erode international standards on labor rights, environmental protection, and consumer safety. Despite her efforts, including working with labor unions to block NAFTA and the WTO agreement, both measures passed.[32] Her prominent role in trade policy debates attracted national attention, and in 1996, independent presidential candidateRoss Perot invited her to join hiselection campaign as a vice-presidential candidate for the1996 presidential election. She declined the offer.[37][38]
Kaptur was a vocal critic ofWall Street and its role in the2008 financial crisis.[39] She opposed theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which authorized a federal bailout of major U.S. banks.[40] Her position, along with her broader criticism of the financial industry, was featured inMichael Moore’s 2009 documentaryCapitalism: A Love Story.[41] In 2011, Kaptur introduced H.R. 1489, a bill aimed at restoring key provisions of theGlass–Steagall Act (1933) by repealing parts of theGramm–Leach–Bliley Act (1999) and restoring the separation between commercial banking and securities trading. The bill received support from 30 co-sponsors.[42]
In the 2000s, Kaptur sought to steer the Democratic Party towards a greater focus on its working-class base and sought a leadership role by emphasizing her Midwestern "heartland" roots in contrast to the party's coastal leadership. In 2002, she challenged RepresentativeNancy Pelosi for the position ofHouse Democratic leader, using her candidacy to draw attention to what she described as the party's neglect of its "non-money wing." She withdrew before a vote was taken. In 2008, Kaptur ran for vice chair of theHouse Democratic Caucus, but lost to RepresentativeXavier Becerra, a close Pelosi ally. After Democrats lost their House majority in the2010 midterm elections, Kaptur was among those who called for a delay in leadership elections—an effort some interpreted as encouraging Pelosi to step aside.[39] Reflecting on her differences with Pelosi years later, Kaptur criticized the Democratic leader's support for NAFTA, saying, "That’s where the real knife was put in the flesh."[43]
In 2016, Kaptur endorsed SenatorBernie Sanders in theDemocratic presidential primary and introduced him at a rally inToledo.[44] In October, she endorsed the nominee,Hillary Clinton, who had won Ohio and her district in the primary.[45] In 2018, Kaptur became the longest-serving woman in the House of Representatives,[46] and then in 2023, she became the longest-serving woman in Congress overall.[31][47]
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For the119th Congress:[48]
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Kaptur opposesfree trade agreements. She helped lead opposition to theNorth American Free Trade Agreement,permanent normal trade relations for the People's Republic of China, and fast track authority for the president.[32]
Kaptur opposed theAmerica Invents Act, which overhauled theU.S. patent system by shifting from a "first to invent" to a "first to file" framework.[50] She argued that the change hurt small businesses, stating, "Our patent system is the finest in the world... the proposed solutions are special fixes that benefit these few giants at the expense of everyone else."[51]
She later co-sponsored the Restoring America's Leadership in Innovation Act, which aimed to strengthen inventors’ property rights. The bill proposed eliminating the administrative review process that allows the public to challenge the validity of patents, a process originally designed to prevent misuse of the patent system.[52]
Kaptur was one of 38 Democrats to vote against theDREAM Act in 2010. Even though the bill passed the House, it ultimately failed in the Senate.[53] She later supported the measure, voting in favor of the DREAM Act in 2021.[54] Kaptur voted against the Equal Representation Act in 2024, which proposed excluding noncitizens ineligible to vote from the population counts used to determine congressional representation.[55]
In February 2025, Kaptur raised concerns aboutElon Musk's U.S. citizenship status, questioning his allegiance due to his multiple nationalities. Speaking outside the Capitol, Kaptur remarked, "Mr. Musk has just been here 22 years. And he’s a citizen of three countries. I always ask myself the question, with the damage he’s doing here, when push comes to shove, which country is his loyalty to?South Africa?Canada? Or the United States? And he’s only been a citizen, I’ll say again, 22 years."[56] Kaptur's remarks quickly drew backlash on social media, with many users criticizing them asnativist rhetoric.
Kaptur serves as co-chair of theCongressional Ukrainian Caucus and has been a vocal supporter forUkraine during theRusso-Ukrainian War. She has expressed support for Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy and stated that the country "voted for her own independence and has been laboring to be free with continued Russian meddling in her country all these decades."[57] In 2023, Kaptur signed a letter urging PresidentJoe Biden to provideF-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.[58]
Kaptur supportedRoe v. Wade, calling it "the law of the land,"[59] but describes herself as neither strictlypro-choice norpro-life.[6] She opposes federal funding for abortions and has backed several restrictions,[6] including bans on so-calledpartial-birth abortions in 2000[60] and 2003,[61] theStupak-Pitts Amendment in 2009,[62] and theNo Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act in 2011.[63] She voted multiple times in the 1990s against allowing privately funded abortions at overseas military hospitals,[64][65][66][67][68] though she supported lifting the ban in 2005.[69] Her record on other abortion-related legislation has varied. She voted against the Child Custody Protection Act (1999),[70] the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (2005),[71] and theBorn-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (2023).[72] In 2007, she voted against federally fundedembryonic stem-cell research.[73] In 2010, she withheld support for theAffordable Care Act until assured it would not provide funding for abortions.[2] She supports the requirement thatMedicaid provide coverage for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment.[6]
Kaptur is aRoman Catholic and has described her faith as a core part of her identity, particularly as an American of Polish heritage.[74] In a letter toNetwork Lobby, she wrote that Catholicism gave her ancestors "worth and hope—during times of bondage, repression, punishment, war, illness, and harrowing economic downturns."[74] She has also expressed admiration forCatholic social teaching, especially theoption for the poor. Blending her religious beliefs with progressive politics,The Washington Post described her as "an economic populist from America’s heartland with progressive values and a conservative disposition."[2]
| Year | Democratic | Votes | % | Swing | Republican | Votes | % | Swing | Third parties | Party | Votes | % | Total votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | [75] | Marcy Kaptur | 95,162 | 57.95% | +18.14 | Ed Weber (incumbent) | 64,459 | 39.25% | −16.96 | Susan Skinner | Independent | 1,785 | 1.09% | 164,217 |
| James Somers | Independent | 1,594 | 0.97% | |||||||||||
| David Muir | Libertarian | 1,217 | 0.74% | |||||||||||
| 1984 | [76] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 117,985 | 54.90% | −3.05 | Frank Venner | 93,210 | 43.37% | +4.12 | Write-in | 3,714 | 1.73% | 214,909 | |
| 1986 | [77] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 105,646 | 77.52% | +22.62 | Mike Shufeldt | 30,643 | 22.48% | −20.89 | 136,289 | ||||
| 1988 | [78] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 157,557 | 81.29% | +3.77 | Al Hawkins | 36,183 | 18.67% | −3.81 | Write-in | 72 | 0.04% | 193,812 | |
| 1990 | [79] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 117,681 | 77.69% | −3.60 | Jerry Lammers | 33,791 | 22.31% | +3.64 | 151,472 | ||||
| 1992 | [80] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 178,879 | 73.58% | −4.11 | Ken Brown | 53,011 | 21.81% | −0.50 | Edward Howard | Independent | 11,162 | 4.59% | 243,102 |
| Write-in | 50 | 0.02% | ||||||||||||
| 1994 | [81] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 118,120 | 75.34% | +1.76 | Randy Whitman | 38,665 | 24.66% | +2.85 | 156,785 | ||||
| 1996 | [82] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 170,617 | 77.08% | +1.74 | Randy Whitman | 46,040 | 20.80% | −3.86 | Elizabeth Slotnick | Natural Law | 4,677 | 2.11% | 221,334 |
| 1998 | [83] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 130,793 | 81.18% | +4.10 | Ed Emery | 30,312 | 18.12% | −2.68 | 161,105 | ||||
| 2000 | [84] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 168,547 | 74.80% | −6.38 | Dwight Bryan | 49,446 | 21.94% | +3.82 | Galen Fries | Libertarian | 4,239 | 1.88% | 225,328 |
| Dennis Slotnick | Natural Law | 3,096 | 1.37% | |||||||||||
| 2002 | [85] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 132,236 | 73.99% | −0.81 | Ed Emery | 46,481 | 26.01% | +4.07 | 178,717 | ||||
| 2004 | [86] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 205,149 | 68.13% | −5.86 | Larry Kaczala | 95,983 | 31.87% | +5.86 | 301,132 | ||||
| 2006 | [87] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 153,880 | 73.63% | +5.50 | Bradley Leavitt | 55,119 | 26.37% | −5.50 | 208,999 | ||||
| 2008 | [88] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 222,054 | 74.37% | +0.74 | Bradley Leavitt | 76,512 | 25.63% | −0.74 | 298,566 | ||||
| 2010 | [89] | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 121,819 | 59.35% | −15.02 | Rich Iott | 83,423 | 40.65% | +15.02 | 205,242 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 42,902 | 56.18% | ||
| Democratic | Dennis Kucinich (incumbent) | 30,564 | 40.02% | ||
| Democratic | Graham Veysey | 2,900 | 3.80% | ||
| Total votes | 76,366 | 100% | |||
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 217,775 | 73.04% | +13.69 | |
| Republican | Samuel Wurzelbacher | 68,666 | 23.03% | −17.62 | |
| Libertarian | Sean Stipe | 11,725 | 3.93% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 298,166 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 108,870 | 67.74% | −5.30 | |
| Republican | Richard May | 51,704 | 32.17% | +9.14 | |
| Write-in | 141 | 0.09% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 160,715 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 193,966 | 68.69% | +0.95 | |
| Republican | Donald Larson | 88,427 | 31.31% | −0.86 | |
| Write-in | 5 | 0.00% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 282,398 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 157,219 | 67.79% | −0.90 | |
| Republican | Steve Kraus | 74,670 | 32.19% | +0.88 | |
| Write-in | 48 | 0.02% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 231,937 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 190,328 | 63.07% | −4.72 | |
| Republican | Rob Weber | 111,385 | 36.91% | +4.72 | |
| Write-in | 39 | 0.01% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 301,752 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 150,655 | 56.63% | −6.44 | |
| Republican | J.R. Majewski | 115,362 | 43.37% | +6.46 | |
| Total votes | 266,017 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marcy Kaptur (incumbent) | 181,098 | 48.27% | −8.36 | |
| Republican | Derek Merrin | 178,716 | 47.63% | +4.26 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Pruss | 15,381 | 4.10% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 375,195 | 100% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
I do not believe that Congress should bail out large financial institutions on Wall Street, especially without adequate protection for the average person. We need to help Main Street, not just Wall Street.... I do not believe that the people who helped bring about this situation should be allowed to profit from it.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 9th congressional district 1983–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 4th | Succeeded by |
| Order of precedence of the United States | ||
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