When some area voters cast their ballots for one U.S. congressional seat this fall, they will be undertaking a new experience — voting in a new district.
This will be in the reconfigured U.S. 9th District, composed of the local counties of Defiance, Fulton and Williams along with several others running to east of Sandusky. Before redistricting, those three counties were part of the U.S. 5th District while the 9th hugged counties along Lake Erie, between Toledo and Cleveland.
While district’s boundaries are entirely different this year, another difference is that the U.S. 9th is more evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Previously, the number of registered Democrats was much higher than GOP voters.
Well aware of these dynamics are the two candidates for the 9th District on Nov. 8 — long-time Democrat incumbent Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, the district’s representative for nearly 40 years — and Republican J.R. Majewski of Port Clinton. (An Independent, Youseff Baddar of Toledo, is no longer in the race.) The winner on Nov. 8 will begin a two-year term in the U.S. Congress in January when the new district boundaries go into effect.
Asked to comment on the 9th’s new makeup, Kaptur responded: “My priorities aren’t Republican or Democratic priorities. It’s whatever is best for Ohio’s workers, families and seniors. That’s why I’m working to lower costs on gas and groceries, bring good-paying jobs to the region, and funding law enforcement, veterans’ care and local infrastructure projects. In today’s divisive political climate, we need leaders who are able to bridge the divide and deliver results, not rhetoric. That’s what the people of northwest Ohio expect, and that’s what I’ll continue to do every single day.”
Speaking of rhetoric, the Kaptur campaign has been highly critical of Majewski, suggesting he had a role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots in Washington, referring to him as an “extremist candidate” and questioning his military record.
Responding to these ads from the Kaptur campaign, Majewski’s campaign spokesperson, Melissa Pelletier told The Crescent-News that “these questions have been asked and answered repeatedly, and J.R. has made his position clear: he condemns the violence that occurred on that day (Jan. 6) and there is no place for it in the political process. Like J.R., most of the ordinary families who traveled to Washington that day were there to show support for the country they love and the beliefs they hold deeply, but we must be a nation governed by law.”
On his military record, Pelletier provided these quotes from Majewski: “As the USAF recently confirmed, I was deployed to Qatar from May to November 2002 — where I served with the 64th Air Expeditionary Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom — fulfilling outbound transport flights to forward bases and combat zones throughout the Middle East, including Afghanistan. During my deployment, I touched down and delivered supplies in Afghanistan on numerous occasions, but I was not stationed there. I was stationed in Qatar, which is why my records reflect as such rather than listing various outbound flights.”
The candidates also were asked the following questions by The Crescent-News on regional and national issues:
Q. Inflation is running at 40-year highs. What is a workable counterweight to this?
Majewski: “Joe Biden’s policies, which have been supported every step of the way by Marcy Kaptur, are a disaster for America and a burden on the citizens of the 9th District. Kaptur and Biden have one solution: continue to print money and raise taxes while families struggle to afford gas and groceries.
“In Congress, I will oppose tax increases and cut spending drastically to counterweight inflation. We must examine and cut the billions of dollars of wasteful programs that Marcy Kaptur and her liberal allies have put in place. With Democrats in power, we have seen billions of dollars spent on wasteful “Green New Deal” programs. Until Congress gets the tax-and-spend mentality under control, we will continue to see prices rise and hurt our northwest Ohio families.”
Kaptur: “Families are being squeezed as inflation strikes worldwide. Higher costs are hurting everyone. Families and seniors are having to stretch their dollars further to make ends meet. With COVID-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine, we’ve seen how utterly misguided it was to allow bad trade deals to outsource manufacturing jobs and supply chains to penny-wage nations, and to become overly reliant on foreign nations for energy. Tackling inflation and bringing down costs requires America — and Congress — to take strategic steps in both the short and long term.
“In the House, we recently passed the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act to stop Big Oil companies from gouging consumers at the gas pump. Rising fuel prices are a key driver of inflation — and stopping Big Oil CEOs from getting richer and richer on the backs of the middle class is a common-sense step we can take right now — but the Senate needs to act. In the long term, we need to get back to what I have always championed: “Made in America” industrial and agricultural policies. Instead of continuing the same old policies that have shipped jobs overseas and allowed cheaper, inferior products made in China and elsewhere to flood our markets, we need to invest in American companies and American workers. These investments will strengthen domestic supply chains, lower costs on American consumers and businesses, and create good-paying jobs for workers and families.
“That’s what I’ve done in Congress: passing several key pieces of legislation to do just that, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Combined with the funding I’ve secured as the chair of the House Energy and Water Subcommittee, we’re returning to a “Made in America” strategy that will build up our energy, steel, automotive and agricultural industries. By holding Big Oil companies to account, and restoring American dominance in critical industries — we will be able to lower costs across the board while building American forward right here in northwest Ohio.”
Q: Green energy policies are being promoted by the Biden administration, but what role should fossil fuels have?
Kaptur: “As the chair of the House Energy and Water Subcommittee, my role is to steer federal policy and investments to strengthen America’s energy position. Before that, as a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, I crafted the first energy title in a U.S. Farm Bill greatly expanding the potential for production and marketing of bio-fuels. As we have seen with Russia’s war in Ukraine, we cannot rely on foreign nations for our domestic energy needs. Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to conspire with Russia and slash OPEC production in order to buoy the Kingdom’s coffers and prolong Vladimir Putin’s war reinforces the importance of the all-of-the-above American energy strategy.
“I am fighting for stable, reliable and affordable energy. It is essential to American prosperity. As the United States increases domestic oil and gas production and exports, we must also diversify our energy portfolio to meet our 21st century needs. From oil and gas, to next generation nuclear, solar, wind, and hydrogen — deploying investments in innovative energy technologies will safeguard our national security, lower costs on consumers and businesses, and create good-paying jobs right here at home. American energy companies and American energy workers are ready to unleash the power of innovation and pave the way forward, and I’m focused on unlocking our full energy potential right here in northwest Ohio.”
Majewski: “The green energy policies being promoted by the Biden administration are divisive at their core. All of the “green energy” technologies are supported by fossil fuels in their creation and manufacturing. Meanwhile, supplies of fossil fuels are diminished, causing consumer consumption prices to rise. Congress and the administration should stop blocking our access to American energy resources and allow us to use the resources we have underground in America.”
Q: The U.S. national debt is five times higher than it was in 2002. What will need to be done to bring this under control?
Majewski: “The reckless spending of the Democratic Party, which Kaptur votes with 100% of the time, would be the first place to begin. We cannot continue to bail out cities and states that have poor leadership. We could have a more robust effect if we also reduce tax rates, eliminate most tax deductions/credits, and simplify the tax code. Finally, we can establish enforceable caps to curb the growth of discretionary spending.”
Kaptur: “Taxpayer dollars are a precious, finite resource and the federal government must be a wise steward of the funds with which it is entrusted by the American people. The reality is that middle class Americans pay their fair share, but special interests have used their influence and access to Congress to help the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to avoid paying what they owe.
“In 2017, Republicans in Congress passed a massive tax cut tailored for the super wealthy. The benefits of this legislation were almost entirely reaped by the highest income earners, with the middle class Americans being left to pay the bill. It was an unconscionable move, and now we are beginning to see what the consequences are.
“To pay for this massive giveaway to the rich, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has put forth an 11-point plan that, among other things, would sunset all federal legislation every five years. This would mean cutting Social Security and Medicare to pay for tax cuts that only went to an elite few. Social Security and Medicare are sacred, earned benefits that were paid for by the labor of tens of millions of Americans. As long as I have the honor of serving the people of Ohio’s 9th District, I will never allow America to break its promise to our seniors. Instead, we need to lower the tax burden on middle class workers, families and seniors, and address the national debt responsibility — and that means requiring the wealthiest to pay their fair share.”
Q: What issues would you focus on that are central to voters in the 9th District?
Kaptur: “I’m focused on pulling every lever to lower the cost of gas, groceries, prescription drugs and everyday needs. Wall Street, Big Oil companies, Big Pharma, and Big Agriculture are seeing record gains and raking in massive profits on the backs of the middle class. They’ve gotten away with it because the system too often favors the well-to-do and the well connected. We saw this in Congress recently when some of my colleagues took money from special interests and then voted against common-sense bills to end the price gouging perpetrated by Big Oil and Big Pharma, cap the cost of insulin and allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors. These bills shouldn’t be Republican or Democratic priorities — they should be everyone’s priorities.
“Society today tends to elevate and promote those who are loud, bombastic and divisive, but who aren’t focused on the needs of working people. We need to mend the frayed fibers of American society and restore the focus of Congress to delivering meaningful results, not rhetoric. I’m focused on the quiet, persistent work that helps move progress forward for our region. That means securing federal resources for roads, schools, hospitals and law enforcement, bringing home good-paying jobs and investing in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to protect the Western Lake Erie Basin for our drinking water and agricultural, boating, fishing and tourism industries. We need to ensure the opportunities promised by the American Dream are open and available to all, and that’s what I’m fighting to deliver for all of northwest Ohio.”
Majewski: “The same issues plaguing voters throughout the entire country right now are also plaguing the great people of (the 9th District). The policies of Democratic leadership are failing Americans at every turn and across all areas of life, and District 9 of Ohio is no exception.
“One of the foremost examples is the rising cost of inflation. Inflation is at 8.3% and continues to soar. Having to choose between filling up your gas tank or your refrigerator is not an easy decision for anyone to make, let alone a family. Meanwhile, hard-working people who have lived here their whole life cannot afford their mortgages.
“Crime is another issue Kaptur seems to care little about here in the district, and that includes the crime in Lucas County directly related to the ongoing border crisis, which the left continues to ignore. We need leadership that will take a stand for law enforcement locally and at our nation’s borders because neglecting the issue has brought dire consequences for our citizenry.”