This week, The Daily Signal’s Bradley Devlin spoke with Ohio state Rep. Josh Williams on “The Signal Sitdown.” When Devlin asked about the race for the redistricted ninth district during the show, Williams had some choice words for the Democrat who currently holds the seat, Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
But Kaptur is not taking William’s comments lying down.
Williams took aim at Kaptur‘s more than four decade tenure. Williams, who was born in 1984, pointed out that Kaptur has “been in office longer than I’ve been alive.”
“Every struggle that I experienced, every struggle that my hometown of Toledo experienced was under her term, when she was in Congress. There’s not a single thing people can point to that has her marked accomplishment since she’s been in Congress. She’s just been there,” Williams said. “She’s never held a leadership position, she’s never held a committee chairmanship, and if you talk to anyone that’s in the know, she doesn’t even bring back the type of resources, the type of financial investments into the district, that normal members of her senior status—especially ones that serve on appropriations—would typically bring back to their district.”
Williams also sought to draw a distinction between himself and Kaptur.
“I see every day as a blessing man, and I’m a problem solver. It’s the way my brain works. So when people across the state, they come up with an issue, they’re like, ‘Hey, you need to go talk to Representative Williams,’ and I try to find creative solutions to those problems,” he offered. “But you can’t say that about my opponent, Marcy Kaptur. I mean, she doesn’t solve any—they want to continue to highlight, like affordability is one of the hot button topics for the Democrats’ talking points in this election cycle.”
But Williams claims the affordability crisis happened under Kaptur’s tenure.
“Well, the affordability crisis happened under her watch. You know, when she said she looked forward to working for [former President] Joe Biden, when she voted with him almost 100% of the time, when she voted in support of record inflationary numbers, you know, the actual legislation that drove inflation crazy across the district,” he continued about the congresswoman and former president.
The state representative also referenced President Donald Trump and his “financial incentives on corporations to bring those jobs back,” which includes “a $400 million investment in Stellantis,” a global automaker. “And she wants to take ownership of that accomplishment,” Williams said about Kaptur, which he says “is disrespectful to my district.”
Trump further came up in that Williams offered that the president has “a great agenda for my district, a great agenda for America, and [Kaptur’s] in total opposition to that.”
The Daily Signal reached out to the Kaptur campaign regarding Williams’ comments.
“Congresswoman Kaptur has served as both Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the powerful Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee and plans to retake the gavel as Chairwoman in 2027,” the Kaptur campaign told The Daily Signal.
The campaign also touted the congresswoman’s record. Kaptur, the campaign said, “has brought home countless transformative investments to Ohio’s 9th Congressional district, from bipartisan investments in biofuels and our ports that have opened international markets to our farmers and manufacturers alike, to improved infrastructure in the heart of Toledo and Route 24 improving safety and transportation networks.”
The statement involved a reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement as well.
“As one of the most vocal opponents of NAFTA that led to job loss and degradation in the region, Congresswoman Kaptur never wavered in her commitment to stand up for and deliver federal resources to those companies who never left. Her work directly resulted in the rebirth in Ohio steel manufacturing, and helped to save the American auto industry including Toledo Jeep,” the statement continued.
Kaptur also took aim at Williams. “It’s disappointing, but unsurprising that Representative Williams would use your platform to lie to your audience. He should know about many of these investments, as he heard her talk about them just last week from the audience as she took part in an expert panel at the NW Ohio Biofuels Summit with the Ohio Farm Bureau and other leaders on agriculture.”
“[Williams] would do well to pay attention to facts and the truth if he can survive an ugly GOP primary where he will be judged by the voters of Northwest Ohio,” the Kaptur campaign said.
“Vicious, unfounded attacks from another of the GOP primary candidates are to be expected but Josh Williams is really saying more about himself than Congresswoman Kaptur with his uninformed posturing,” the statement for The Daily Signal concluded.
