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Exclusive: From Toledo to Flint, Republicans’ goals Last year President Donald Trump won two Democrats-owned congressional seats in the Midwest.
Republicans have a 219-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the 13 congressional districts Trump won at the top of the ticket, but Democrats stick with it.
Before the midterm elections, Republicans had the highest minds in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, held by the longest-serving women, Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, represented by freshman Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.
Rep. Brian Jack, a former political director of Trump, now a candidate recruiter for House Republicans as vice chairman of the National Republican Congress Committee (NRCC), visited the crossover this week.
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R-Ga. Rep. Brian Jack spoke with supporters of President Donald Trump at an event hosted by Vice President JD Vance in Taoyuan, Georgia on August 21, 2025. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
In a phone interview with Fox News Digital in Toledo, Ohio, Jack said Kaptur and McDonald Rivet were inconsistent with the voters they represented.
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“Kaptur has been representing Toledo for 42 years, which is alive longer than some of our candidates,” Jack said.
Jack describes how Kaptur sees “her voting percentage drops sharply.” In 2016, Kaptur won with 68% of the vote. Last year, in 2024, Democratic lawmakers received only 48% of the vote.
“I believe it’s because voters have become familiar with her posture toward President Trump over the past seven years,” Jack said. “President Trump has carried the region with a 53% majority, but she still voted twice to subvert the will of voters, voted for two impeachment of President Trump and removed him from his own voters’ will.”
Although Kaptur is aligned with the Democrats on key issues, such as rejection Trump’s “Big and Beautiful Bill” His election legislation, including tax cuts, green energy reform and border security, has shifted red in recent election cycles.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur of D-Ohio spoke before the VFW Post 2529 Annual Corn Baking in Sandusky, Ohio on Saturday, August 20, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“This used to be a perennial belt swing state,” Jack said. “As we’ve seen from 2016 to 2024, it’s increasingly consistent with President Trump and has sent President Trump to the White House three times with an overwhelming vote. This accurately reflects the will of the people of this incredible country.”
candidate Ohio 9th Congressional District It includes former Republican nominee and four state Rep. Derek Merrin, Ohio Rep. Josh Williams, National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Alea Nadeem and retired Air Force Lieutenant Wayne Kinsel.
State Senate President Senator Rob McColley is also considered a potential candidate. Jack met with local party officials during his visit to Buckeyes, four announced candidates and potential candidates.
Jack said Republicans were excited and inspired by the candidates and told Fox News that “When you look at the areas that are looking to change the elected office, Ohio’s ninth place is one of the first areas to think of.”

U.S. Navy veteran and Flint-local Amir Hassan launched his Republican movement for Michigan’s eighth congressional district. (Amir Hassan’s campaign)
Jack also met in the crossover area of McDonald’s Rivet US Navy veteran Amir Hassan Who is the only Republican candidate announced.
“As voters continue to understand the voting records of Rep. McDonald Rivet, I suspect they will raise questions about why she voted against the president, which elected the district,” Jack said.
Jack said while receiving the vice president JD Vance In his hometown of Peachtree, Georgia, more than a thousand voters dressed in 90 degrees, in stark contrast to the 50 people protesting in the swing state.
Jack told Fox News that when Democrats oppose Trump’s “big and beautiful bill” and Medicaid cuts became the center stage for the Democratic Party, “this is our continued victory in the bill, but the details in it, but the details in it because it’s an encapsulation of everything Trump’s campaign.”
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McDonald’s Rivet campaign spokesman Tom Grandon told Fox News Digital that she “works every day to make working families more affordable.”
“She has proven countless times throughout her career that she will do it with anyone and have bipartisan bills that will reduce key costs such as medicine, taxes and eggs. However, she will also struggle relentlessly to deal with any agenda that prioritizes lower billionaires over lower workers’ costs.”
Kaptur and the Democratic Congress Committee (DCCC) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Senior News Analyst & National Affairs Writer
Prabhat Sharma is a veteran journalist with over 12 years of experience covering national news, current affairs, and breaking stories across India. Known for his analytical approach and in-depth reporting, Prabhat brings clarity to complex topics and delivers content that informs, educates, and empowers readers.
He is passionate about political transparency, policy analysis, and the evolving landscape of Indian journalism.
When he’s not writing, you’ll find him reading non-fiction, watching documentaries, or exploring offbeat destinations