COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Friday, Derek Merrin, the Republican candidate endorsed by Trump, announced that he had reached out to Democratic U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur to concede in the 2024 election.

In a video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Merrin, who has served four terms in the state legislature, did not dismiss the possibility of campaigning for Kaptur’s seat again in the next election cycle. Nevertheless, he emphasized that his priority at this moment is to take time off and rejuvenate with his family.

The contest for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District came to a conclusion this past Wednesday, determining that Kaptur had a lead over Merrin by nearly 2,300 votes, translating to a difference of 0.7%. This result narrowly avoided triggering an automatic recount that would have taken place if the margin had been just 0.5%. Libertarian candidate Tom Pruss, who received significant financial backing exceeding $400,000 from the pro-Democrat Voter Protection Project, garnered over 4% of the total votes.

Merrin cited the extensive expenses associated with the race as indicative of the Republicans’ competitiveness against Kaptur, the longest-serving female member of Congress. “They invested over $10 million to take us down. The Democrats supported a third-party candidate to draw votes away from us, and for almost 100 days, they mounted an intense media campaign against us,” he stated. “Despite all that, we were fortunate enough to secure the funding needed to share our message, and various groups highlighted Kaptur’s record. Ultimately, it was a fairly contested race, and Marcy Kaptur received more votes than we did, which I fully accept.”

Merrin also committed to supporting other Republican candidates throughout the state who achieved victories, as he will face term limits in the Legislature by the end of the year. This includes aiding President-elect Donald Trump, who has claimed Ohio in elections for the third consecutive time, as well as Bernie Moreno, who unseated the established Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.

“We took a stand for our Constitution, advocated for lower taxes, and promoted fiscal responsibility while presenting a vision for increased prosperity in northwest Ohio, but we ultimately fell short,” Merrin reflected. “However, our message and efforts resonated across America and brought victories to our party.”