An Ohio congressional race is an early electoral gauge of the voting public’s views on the Trump administration‘s deportation tactics.

Madison Sheahan announced Jan. 15 that she was stepping down as deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and seeking the Republican nomination to take on longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). Sheahan, 28, faces a crowded Republican primary field in a newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, which is likely to be one of the nation’s most competitive House contests in the 2026 election cycle. House Democrats need to net three seats in November to claim a majority, and both parties are expected to play hard for the district covering Toledo and Ohio’s northwest corner.