A high-ranking official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced her resignation on Thursday, immediately launching a campaign to unseat long-serving Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in Ohio's 9th Congressional District during the 2026 midterm elections.
From "Fish Cop" to Congressional Candidate
Madison Sheahan, the 28-year-old deputy director of ICE, revealed her bid with a campaign video heavily focused on her brief tenure at the federal agency. Sheahan, a former close aide to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was sometimes mocked internally as a "fish cop" due to her previous role leading Louisiana's Wildlife and Fisheries Department.
Her launch video does not shy away from that background, with Sheahan stating she "modernized a broken department." However, the core of her pitch revolves around immigration enforcement. "In less than one year at ICE, I've stopped more illegal immigration than Marcy Kaptur has in her 43 years in Washington," Sheahan claims in the video, which features footage of her in tactical gear.
A Tough Primary and a Formidable Incumbent
Sheahan is not guaranteed the Republican nomination. She must first win a competitive GOP primary against several established candidates:
- Former state Representative Derek Merrin, who narrowly lost to Kaptur in 2024.
- Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Alea Nadeem.
- State Representative Joe Williams.
All three primary opponents have already raised at least $250,000 for their campaigns. The eventual nominee will face Marcy Kaptur, 79, who has represented the Toledo-based district for over four decades. Despite Republican-led gerrymandering in 2022 and 2024 that made the district more conservative, Kaptur has held her seat. A further map adjustment earlier this year increased its GOP lean, but Kaptur's campaign war chest remains formidable, with over $1 million cash on hand according to Federal Election Commission records.
Campaign Narratives Clash on Border and Experience
Sheahan's campaign narrative aggressively targets Kaptur's record on border security, criticizing her for voting against the GOP's "Big Beautiful Bill" last summer, which included tax cuts and border wall funding. The ICE official boasts of hiring 12,000 agents and deporting 2.5 million immigrants during her time at the agency. "Ohio neighborhoods are safer thanks to President Donald Trump and ICE," she states.
In response, Kaptur's campaign dismissed the Republican infighting. "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," a spokesperson said, emphasizing her work across the aisle on affordability.
In a recent interview, Sheahan acknowledged internal doubts about her age and lack of traditional law enforcement experience but expressed unwavering confidence. "I absolutely think I'm qualified for the job," she said. "Because at the end of the day, what really makes anybody qualified for any job?"
The race sets the stage for a high-stakes battle in a key Ohio district, pitting a young, Trump-aligned immigration hardliner against one of the most enduring Democratic figures in the U.S. House of Representatives.
