Democrats’ own internal polling has delivered a striking result in one of Ohio’s most closely watched congressional races, showing longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur locked in a dead heat with Republican challenger Derek Merrin.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s latest survey puts Kaptur and Merrin at exactly 48% each in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.

Just 4% of likely voters remain undecided with the November election approaching.

The numbers underscore just how competitive the contest has become following Ohio’s mid-decade redistricting, which changed the political makeup of the district Kaptur is fighting to retain.

But another result buried inside the Democrats’ own polling makes the tie particularly notable.

President Donald Trump’s job approval stands at just 35% in the district, while 54% disapprove — a 19-point negative gap, according to the DCCC’s Sept. 29 memo.

Yet Republican Derek Merrin is still running even with the Democratic incumbent.

The DCCC says Trump carried the current district by 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

Despite Trump’s current approval numbers in the Democratic survey, Merrin still captures 48% against Kaptur.

The DCCC emphasized several numbers it views as encouraging for the incumbent.

According to the committee, Kaptur has consolidated 95% of Democratic voters and is leading among independents, although the memo did not disclose the precise breakdown of independent support.

The committee also said Kaptur is running ahead of both Democratic statewide candidates in the district.

It did not identify those candidates or provide their polling numbers in the memo.

Democrats portrayed the tied race as evidence that Kaptur continues to outperform the underlying political environment of her district, pointing to her record and campaign emphasis on lowering costs and representing Northwest Ohio.

The DCCC also sought to blame Republicans for rising household expenses, citing costs including groceries, gasoline, health care and utility bills.

Those arguments represent the Democratic committee’s characterization of the political environment rather than independent findings from the poll.

And despite the DCCC’s upbeat assessment of Kaptur’s position, its own headline number remains unmistakably close.

Kaptur: 48%.

Merrin: 48%.

Undecided: 4%.

Neither candidate has broken the 50% mark, and the difference between them is zero.

The survey was conducted by the DCCC Analytics Department from Sept. 22 through Sept. 23 among 481 likely general-election voters in Ohio’s 9th District.

Respondents were contacted through phone and text-to-web interviews.

The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

That means the survey should be viewed as a snapshot rather than evidence that either candidate holds a measurable lead.

But with the Democratic Party’s own polling showing its incumbent tied with Merrin, Ohio’s 9th District remains a closely contested battleground heading into the final stretch before November.

One of FBI Director Kash Patel’s top deputies is abruptly leaving the bureau, creating another opening at the highest levels of an agency already undergoing major organizational changes.

Andrew Bailey, the former Missouri attorney general who has served as one of the FBI’s co-deputy directors, announced Monday that he is stepping down after roughly a year at the bureau and returning home to his family in Missouri.

His final day will be Friday, Oct. 2.

“With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri,” Bailey said.

Bailey joined the FBI in 2025 after leaving the Missouri attorney general’s office and became part of an unusual leadership structure under Patel, serving alongside another co-deputy director.

His departure comes as Patel continues implementing major personnel and organizational changes at the FBI amid longstanding political disputes over the bureau and allegations of political bias in federal law enforcement.

Bailey, a Republican who previously served as Missouri’s top law enforcement official, has been a vocal supporter of Patel’s efforts to reshape the agency.

And despite his sudden departure, Bailey made clear that he continues to support Patel and the direction of the bureau.

“I am confident Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence,” he added.

Bailey also thanked President Donald Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche and Patel for giving him the opportunity to serve.

During his tenure, Bailey became a visible member of the FBI’s leadership team, appearing alongside federal and state officials during law enforcement operations and promoting the bureau’s emphasis on combating violent crime.

He also participated in major investigations and enforcement initiatives as Patel’s leadership team sought to redirect bureau resources and address concerns among conservatives who had become deeply skeptical of the FBI.

The bureau has undergone extensive personnel and organizational changes since Patel became director in February 2025.

Patel has argued that the FBI needs to move away from what he describes as politicized enforcement and refocus the bureau on traditional law enforcement priorities, including violent crime, counterterrorism and threats to national security.

Those efforts have made Patel’s tenure closely watched in Washington as the Trump administration pursues broader changes across the federal government.

Bailey’s resignation now creates another vacancy near the top of the FBI less than two years into Patel’s tenure.

But Bailey said his decision was personal.

According to his public announcement, he is leaving Washington to return to Missouri and spend more time with his family.

Nothing in Bailey’s announcement indicated that he had been forced from his position or that his departure resulted from a dispute with Patel.

Instead, Bailey used his exit announcement to praise the FBI’s work during his tenure and publicly reaffirm his confidence in Patel.

His departure nevertheless removes a prominent member of Patel’s leadership team at a consequential moment for the bureau.

With Bailey preparing to leave Washington on Friday, Patel will now move forward without one of the senior officials who helped carry out the FBI overhaul during its first year under his leadership.

President Donald Trump added another lifetime appointment to the federal bench Monday as the Senate confirmed Ohio appeals court Judge Matthew R. Byrne to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Byrne cleared the Senate in a 52-45 vote, giving Trump another federal judge during his second term and continuing the administration’s effort to fill vacancies across the federal judiciary.

The confirmation came after the Senate narrowly advanced Byrne’s nomination the previous evening.

Trump nominated Byrne earlier this year to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

Byrne currently serves on Ohio’s Twelfth District Court of Appeals, where he has sat since winning election in 2020.

Before joining the bench, Byrne spent approximately a decade practicing employment law.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, highlighted Byrne’s record before the Senate Judiciary Committee, noting that the Ohio judge had participated in more than 800 appeals and authored hundreds of majority, concurring and dissenting opinions.

Husted described Byrne as hardworking, thoughtful and fair while praising his commitment to the rule of law.

Byrne’s record also attracted attention over his previous involvement with organizations opposed to abortion.

He has been affiliated with Ohio Right to Life, Cincinnati Right to Life, Warren County Right to Life, the Center for Christian Virtue and the Federalist Society.

Byrne also previously served on the board of a pregnancy center opposed to abortion.

Those issues did not prevent his nomination from clearing the Senate.

The final tally stood at 52 votes in favor and 45 against.

The confirmation is particularly consequential because Byrne is not receiving a temporary appointment.

Article III judges receive lifetime tenure after Senate confirmation, allowing them to remain on the federal bench until they retire, resign, die or are removed through impeachment.

That means Monday’s vote gives Trump another potentially long-lasting appointment to the federal judiciary during his second term.

The confirmation came as Senate leaders kept lawmakers in Washington for a final legislative push before senators return home.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed a series of procedural motions Monday targeting utility costs, congressional stock trading, healthcare regulations and a Cabinet nomination.

The chamber also completed work on the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, approving the legislation in a decisive 77-22 vote.

The legislation would establish national rules governing athlete compensation, transfers, scholarships, medical coverage and name-image-likeness agreements.

The measure now heads to the House, which must act before the current Congress ends if the legislation is to survive.

Thune’s next major target is H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which has already sailed through the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The House approved the legislation 417-3 on September 16, with 210 Republicans and 206 Democrats voting in favor.

The bill takes aim at a rapidly emerging issue surrounding America’s electricity infrastructure: the enormous power demands created by massive data centers and other facilities consuming at least 100 megawatts.

Under the legislation, state regulators would be required to consider standards designed to make qualifying large-load customers cover incremental costs associated with generation, transmission and distribution upgrades.

Republicans have highlighted the measure while arguing that ordinary households should not be forced to subsidize electricity infrastructure constructed primarily to serve massive technology companies and other large-scale power consumers.

Sen. John Kennedy summed up that argument in blunt terms.

“you’ve got to pay your own electricity.”

Sen. Josh Hawley has also raised concerns about the impact of rapidly expanding data centers in Missouri, where residents fear the facilities could consume farmland while contributing to sharply higher household electricity costs.

The burst of Senate activity puts several major issues on the chamber’s agenda, but Monday also delivered another lasting result for Trump’s second-term judicial agenda.

With Byrne confirmed, another Trump nominee has secured a lifetime position on the federal bench — an appointment whose impact could extend years beyond the president’s current term.