COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Wednesday, Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur secured another term in the U.S. House of Representatives after successfully defeating Republican lawmaker Derek Merrin, who had received the backing of President-elect Donald Trump.

Kaptur’s victory in the northwest Ohio region marks her continued dominance as the longest-serving female member in the history of the House. The final tallies were confirmed by the Lucas County Board of Elections based in Toledo. Although Kaptur had declared her triumph shortly before 2 a.m. the day following Election Day, the race was initially deemed too close to call. However, the official announcement affirming her win came on Wednesday. The final margin of victory was just outside the 0.5% threshold necessary for an automatic recount, with Libertarian candidate Tom Pruss obtaining approximately 4% of the ballots.

At the age of 78, Kaptur was regarded as one of the most at-risk incumbents this election cycle within Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, amid a political environment where campaign expenditures soared past $23 million, as indicated by OpenSecrets, a well-known impartial tracker of campaign finance data.

Merrin, 38, who previously had aspirations of becoming speaker of the Ohio House, was unsuccessful in that bid and instead became embroiled in a faction within the GOP that opposed Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens earlier this year. This internal conflict has not only led to ongoing disputes but has also triggered legal battles, contributing to an unprecedented level of legislative stagnation this session.

Throughout the campaign, Merrin, alongside his Republican allies, concentrated their attacks on Kaptur’s positions regarding immigration and economic policy. In contrast, Democrats countered by highlighting Merrin’s advocacy for stringent abortion regulations, including his involvement in legislation that sought to classify certain abortions as felonies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had actively enlisted Merrin to join a tumultuous Republican primary, which ultimately set the stage for Kaptur’s successful re-election.