It’s been months and months since the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in confrontations between ICE and anti-ICE protesters/agitators in Minnesota. The visuals of the Pretti incident in particular sparked concern even on the right that under the leadership of former Secretary Kristi Noem, the agency had drifted out of control.
Now, there’s some evidence out of last night’s primary results that the ongoing reputational problems ICE sustained under Noem continue, even outside blue districts and states.
Ohio’s Ninth District is a top target for the NRCC (it’s the only Ohio district Republicans aim to flip, actually). And last night, Madison Sheahan, who had resigned from ICE to run for the seat lost out to not just one, but two other Republicans: Derek Merrin, a former state legislator, and anti-drag queen/anti-porn state Rep. Josh Williams. Sheahan managed only about 20 percent– a pretty poor showing that is already grabbing national headlines.
The result follows reporting earlier in the week from the Washington Examiner that a general sense of “malaise” about ICE continues to permeate Ohio politics– even though the state went to President Trump by 8 points in 2016 and 2020, and 11 points in 2024. The result is suggestive, though not definitive; it bears noting that Sheahan ran as a self-described “Trump conservative,” whereas Merrin branded himself as “MAGA” (Williams is perhaps best-described as the Rick Santorum/Mike Huckabee candidate in the race). Could this be as much about the shine coming off the Trump name in Ohio as it is about ICE being an unhelpful line on a candidate’s bio?
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