Marcy Kaptur

• Elected: 1983 (22nd term)

• Background: Urban planner, daughter of Polish and Ukrainian Catholic immigrants

• District: District 9, Toledo and parts of Cleveland including Parma, OH

• Ukrainian American community: Parma is the densest Ukrainian American enclave in the Midwest and the spiritual home of the U.S. diaspora

• District partisan lean (Cook PVI): R+6

• 2024 House result: Marcy Kaptur (DEM) 48.3% vs Derek Merrin (REP) 47.6%, margin +0.6 pp

Background and record

Background. Marcy Kaptur is the longest serving woman in U.S. House history, first elected in 1982.

Position on Ukraine. She is the granddaughter of Polish immigrants from a heavily Catholic Eastern European Toledo, Ohio area, and has been the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus throughout her decades in Congress. She is the leading House voice on Ukraine, with personal connections to Ukrainian American families across northern Ohio. Kaptur has prioritized Ukrainian sovereignty since the 1990s and was an early champion of NATO expansion. She is the indispensable Democratic strategist for Ukraine advocacy in the House.

Ukraine Record

• Voting record on Ukraine bills: 100.0% pro-Ukraine (39 pro, 0 anti, on 39 clean votes)
• Co-Chair, Congressional Ukraine Caucus (founding member)
• Voted YES on every Ukraine aid bill since 2022
• Has traveled to Kyiv multiple times and organized bipartisan letters holding Russia accountable

Advocacy Playbook

• The Ask: Keep leading the House fight for Ukraine aid and use her Appropriations seat to secure weapons funding in the 2027 fiscal year
• Why It Works: Her Polish Ukrainian Catholic roots, her lifelong commitment to Midwest working families, and her belief that backing Ukraine keeps NATO credible
• Local Connection: If you live in Toledo, Cleveland, or Parma, say so. Her office treats the Ukrainian community in Parma as her direct base
• Avoid: Coming in with a list of demands. Thank her first. She has carried this issue longer than anyone else in Congress