ICE Enforcer Sheahan Storms Ohio Race, Vows to Unseat ‘Swamp’ Rep

Paul Riverbank, 1/16/2026ICE deputy leaves for Ohio Congressional race, promising Trump-era policies and shaking up the field.

You could almost sense the whiplash among ICE agents and Ohio politicos alike. Sheahan’s resume reads like a patchwork of high-stakes responsibilities: the agency swelled by nearly half under her watch, and her years as Louisiana’s head of Wildlife and Fisheries gave her a grounding in both policy and the street-level realities of enforcement. But it’s the contrast with Marcy Kaptur, Ohio’s congressional survivor, that turned heads. Kaptur, who has represented the bizarrely drawn 9th District since Ronald Reagan was president, barely hung on last fall — less than a percentage point separating her from defeat.

Sheahan’s pitch, unveiled in a sharp video on launch day, dispensed with niceties. “Northwest Ohio doesn’t need another Washington insider on auto-pilot,” she declared, leaning heavily on the kinds of words Ohioans mutter in lunchrooms and union halls: “Working people, like my own family, are tired of getting less while paying more.” She didn’t bother tiptoeing around her loyalty — this is a campaign built on Trump-era priorities and a promise to take them straight to the Capitol.

Her deep local roots aren’t just a campaign flourish. Sheahan grew up in Curtice, the sort of small town where everyone knows your high school mascot, and she still peppers her speeches with Buckeye references. Her degree from Ohio State adds more homegrown credibility, which isn’t nothing when you’re seeking to flip a district that’s been pulled and redrawn by mapmakers so many times it now resembles a painter’s mistake along Lake Erie.

Within hours, Sheahan’s old boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, went public with her endorsement. “She’ll fight for Ohio like she fought to keep our borders secure,” Noem told reporters. Plenty will disagree with Noem’s framing — ICE has rarely been more controversial, especially after a fatal shooting by agents this week in Minneapolis that left a mother dead and sparked fresh protests.

The timing, intentionally or not, starkly highlighted the stakes. ICE, under a fierce spotlight in an election year, loses an experienced hand just as scrutiny couldn’t be higher. In steps Charles Wall, an agency veteran declared “strategic” and “forward-leaning” by Noem, but he inherits an uneasy workplace and a skeptical public.

Back in Ohio’s 9th, Sheahan lands in a Republican field already thick with ambition. Derek Merrin, no stranger to close races against Kaptur, welcomed her with a pointed quip about hoping she remembers to vote – “for Derek, who’s going to beat Kaptur in the general.” The subtext was clear: No one has the nomination in the bag.

On the Democratic side, Kaptur faces no internal rivals, but the ground beneath her has shifted. Thirteen House Democrats – Kaptur included – represent districts that voted for Donald Trump in the last cycle. If there was ever a warning siren for incumbents, that’s it.

National Republicans are watching Sheahan’s bid closely, seeing not only a chance to seize a legacy seat but a bellwether for how well Trump-aligned public figures can transition into grassroots campaigning. The fact that Sheahan comes fresh from carrying out some of the country’s most polarizing immigration policies isn’t just background — it’s front and center in how she introduces herself to voters.

Sheahan isn’t pitching safe change. She’s betting that authority forged in the blunt end of government service can translate to authenticity, which, these days, is rarer than ever in national politics. “No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done,” her campaign signs say, appealing to both the impatient and the cynical.

But if the history of Ohio’s 9th (and, frankly, American politics) tells us anything, it’s that early favorites don’t always finish strong. This stretch of northwest Ohio has surprised seasoned operatives before, and it’s not immune to the winds of national mood. For all her declarations of “real leadership,” Sheahan will have to convince longtime Kaptur constituents, skeptical Democrats, and jaded independents that federal experience matters more than local continuity.

This race is more than a contest between two resumes. It’s a reflection of broad voter restlessness — with price tags, with safety, with a sense of being left out. Whether Sheahan can tap into that and carry it through November remains the question that will define the next chapter for Ohio’s 9th District — and maybe for Congress itself.

The news broke quietly at first. Just after sunrise Monday, Madison Sheahan – until that moment, the deputy director atop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – announced she was stepping down, not for retirement or a beltway consultancy, but to mount a challenge in one of America’s most unpredictable Congressional districts.You could almost sense the whiplash among ICE agents and Ohio politicos alike. Sheahan’s resume reads like a patchwork of high-stakes responsibilities: the agency swelled by nearly half under her watch, and her years as Louisiana’s head of Wildlife and Fisheries gave her a grounding in both policy and the street-level realities of enforcement. But it’s the contrast with Marcy Kaptur, Ohio’s congressional survivor, that turned heads. Kaptur, who has represented the bizarrely drawn 9th District since Ronald Reagan was president, barely hung on last fall — less than a percentage point separating her from defeat.Sheahan’s pitch, unveiled in a sharp video on launch day, dispensed with niceties. “Northwest Ohio doesn’t need another Washington insider on auto-pilot,” she declared, leaning heavily on the kinds of words Ohioans mutter in lunchrooms and union halls: “Working people, like my own family, are tired of getting less while paying more.” She didn’t bother tiptoeing around her loyalty — this is a campaign built on Trump-era priorities and a promise to take them straight to the Capitol.Her deep local roots aren’t just a campaign flourish. Sheahan grew up in Curtice, the sort of small town where everyone knows your high school mascot, and she still peppers her speeches with Buckeye references. Her degree from Ohio State adds more homegrown credibility, which isn’t nothing when you’re seeking to flip a district that’s been pulled and redrawn by mapmakers so many times it now resembles a painter’s mistake along Lake Erie.Within hours, Sheahan’s old boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, went public with her endorsement. “She’ll fight for Ohio like she fought to keep our borders secure,” Noem told reporters. Plenty will disagree with Noem’s framing — ICE has rarely been more controversial, especially after a fatal shooting by agents this week in Minneapolis that left a mother dead and sparked fresh protests.The timing, intentionally or not, starkly highlighted the stakes. ICE, under a fierce spotlight in an election year, loses an experienced hand just as scrutiny couldn’t be higher. In steps Charles Wall, an agency veteran declared “strategic” and “forward-leaning” by Noem, but he inherits an uneasy workplace and a skeptical public.Back in Ohio’s 9th, Sheahan lands in a Republican field already thick with ambition. Derek Merrin, no stranger to close races against Kaptur, welcomed her with a pointed quip about hoping she remembers to vote – “for Derek, who’s going to beat Kaptur in the general.” The subtext was clear: No one has the nomination in the bag.On the Democratic side, Kaptur faces no internal rivals, but the ground beneath her has shifted. Thirteen House Democrats – Kaptur included – represent districts that voted for Donald Trump in the last cycle. If there was ever a warning siren for incumbents, that’s it.National Republicans are watching Sheahan’s bid closely, seeing not only a chance to seize a legacy seat but a bellwether for how well Trump-aligned public figures can transition into grassroots campaigning. The fact that Sheahan comes fresh from carrying out some of the country’s most polarizing immigration policies isn’t just background — it’s front and center in how she introduces herself to voters.Sheahan isn’t pitching safe change. She’s betting that authority forged in the blunt end of government service can translate to authenticity, which, these days, is rarer than ever in national politics. “No Excuses. Let’s Get It Done,” her campaign signs say, appealing to both the impatient and the cynical.But if the history of Ohio’s 9th (and, frankly, American politics) tells us anything, it’s that early favorites don’t always finish strong. This stretch of northwest Ohio has surprised seasoned operatives before, and it’s not immune to the winds of national mood. For all her declarations of “real leadership,” Sheahan will have to convince longtime Kaptur constituents, skeptical Democrats, and jaded independents that federal experience matters more than local continuity.This race is more than a contest between two resumes. It’s a reflection of broad voter restlessness — with price tags, with safety, with a sense of being left out. Whether Sheahan can tap into that and carry it through November remains the question that will define the next chapter for Ohio’s 9th District — and maybe for Congress itself.