Former ICE Deputy Director's Bid for House Seat Fails

UPDATE May 6, 2026 2:32 PM CDT

The former No. 2 official at ICE under then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came up short in her bid for a House seat. Madison Sheahan, who resigned in January to enter the GOP primary in Ohio's 9th District, finished third in Tuesday's vote, the Hill reports. According to DecisionDesk HQ, the 29-year-old, who called herself a "Trump conservative" and highlighted her role at ICE, received around 20% of the vote. Former state Rep. Derek Merrin, who won with around 44% of the vote, will face longtime US Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the November election. The Democrat, who is seeking a 23rd term in the House, narrowly defeated Merrin in the 2024 election.

Jan 15, 2026 3:51 PM CST

One of the architects of President Trump's hard-line push against immigrants is trading her ICE badge for a shot at Congress. Madison Sheahan, the No. 2 official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced Thursday she's resigning to enter the Republican primary in Ohio's 9th District. The 28-year-old's goal is to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the New York Times reports. In a launch video, Sheahan branded herself "a Trump conservative" and spotlighted her role in implementing the administration's deportation policies, declaring, "In less than one year at ICE, I've stopped more illegal immigration than Marcy Kaptur has in her 43 years in Washington."

Kaptur, 79, first elected in 1982, once held a solid Democratic seat in northwest Ohio, but a GOP-led redistricting before 2022 turned the district competitive. And a GOP-controlled panel last fall approved a new map designed to favor Republicans more. Kaptur narrowly survived in 2024, winning by less than a percentage point while Trump carried the district by 7 over Vice President Kamala Harris. Former state lawmaker Derek Merrin, who nearly defeated Kaptur last cycle, is running again, joined by several other Republicans including state Rep. Josh Williams—setting up a large primary field. Kaptur's campaign on Thursday welcomed a "messy primary" on the Republican side, per Axios.

"Voters are tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they've seen over the last year," the statement said. "They want a leader focused on affordability and real results, and Marcy Kaptur consistently works across the aisle to deliver both." Sheahan worked for Noem when she was South Dakota governor and later ran Louisiana's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Her appointment to the No. 2 job at ICE upset some agency officials who argued that Sheahan lacked significant law enforcement experience. Noem called her a "terrific leader" in a statement to CBS News. In her resignation letter, per NBC News, Sheahan said, "When the call came to help President Trump clean up the dangerous immigration mess, as Deputy Director of ICE, I answered the call."