No. 2 ICE official running to oppose Kaptur

SANDUSKY — The No. 2 official for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that enforces President Donald Trump's immigration policies, has decided to run as a Republican candidate in the 9th U.S. House District. Madison Sheahan, the deputy director of ICE, hopes to win the party's nomination to oppose Marcy Kaptur in this year's general election. Kaptur, 79, a Democrat, has won reelection ever since her first victory in 1982. Republicans hope to end that in a district that's again been redrawn to make it easier for a Republican to win. In a video posted to her already-established official website, sheahanforohio.com, Sheahan touts her immigration opinions. "In less than one year at ICE, I've stopped more illegal immigration than Marcy Kaptur has in her 43 years in Washington," she said. She also brings up growing up on a family farm, working "cold, dark mornings." She also describes herself as a "Trump conservative." Sheahan's entry in the race joins a GOP field that also includes former state Rep. Derek Merrin of Monclova Township, Kaptur's opponent in 2024; state Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania, Anthony Campbell, a resident of Groton Township in Erie County, Alea Nadeem of Sylvania, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard and an Air Force veteran, and Jacob Frost. Kaptur's campaign issued a statement Thursday: "While Republicans from near and far will fight through a messy primary in this district they gerrymandered again just this fall, Congresswoman Kaptur is focused on delivering real results for her constituents. She's working to lower costs for working families, protect access to affordable health care, and bring transformative investments to Northwest Ohio. Voters are tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they've seen over the last year. They want a leader focused on affordability and real results, and Marcy Kaptur consistently works across the aisle to deliver both." According to her biography on Wikipedia, Sheahan, 28, grew up on a horse farm in Curtice and attended Genoa High School where she was a member of the track team and played basketball and soccer. She attended Ohio State, taking a bachelor's degree in public affairs, public management, leadership, and policy and agri-business with minors in community and business leadership. She worked in South Dakota from 2021 to 2024, serving as political director for Kristi Noem when Noem was the governor, and also running the South Dakota Republican Party for a year. Sheahan ran the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from January 2024 to March 2025, leaving when Noem, Trump's secretary of Homeland Security, hired her as the deputy ICE director.