Incumbent Marcy Kaptur (D) defeated Derek Merrin (R) and Kathy McKinstry (Independent) (Write-in) in the general election for Ohio's 9th Congressional District on November 3, 2026.

The election took place in the context of redistricting that changed the boundaries of the 9th District from those used in 2024. Inside Elections' Nathaniel Rakich said the new district boundaries favored Republicans more than the old boundaries had. Rakich said Kaptur had won the 2022 election by a margin of 13 percentage points while President Donald Trump (R) won the district by a margin of seven percentage points in 2024.

Kaptur defeated Merrin 48.3%–47.6% under the old district lines in 2024. An analysis by The Downballot of the 2024 presidential election using the 2026 district lines concluded that President Donald Trump (R) received 54.8% of the vote in 2024 in the 2026 version of the 9th District and Kamala Harris (D) received 44.2% of the vote in 2024 in the 2026 version of the 9th District. As of November 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Likely Democratic, Lean Democratic, or Tilt Democratic.

Kaptur was elected to the House in 1982. She earlier worked as an urban planner, including at the National Center for Ethnic Affairs and in the Carter administration. Kaptur's campaign website said, "Marcy Kaptur is a fighter for high-wage jobs, growing a workforce to meet the needs of the 21st century, and protecting our region’s most vital natural resource, the Great Lakes. She’s worked with both parties to secure investments in our communities."

Merrin was, as of the 2026 election, a real estate investor. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2016 to 2024 and ran unsuccessfully against Kaptur in 2024. Merrin's campaign website said, "For the last 8 years, I have led the fight for conservative values at the Ohio Statehouse. Now, I'm ready to take the fight to Washington - defending our constitutional rights, demanding fiscal responsibility, and bolstering Northwest Ohio's economy."

As of November 2, 2026, Kaptur had raised $5.91 million and Merrin had raised $2.22 million.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans had a 219-214 majority with two vacancies in the U.S. House.