Marcy Kaptur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcy Kaptur
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Kaptur in 2018
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 9th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Ed Weber |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marcia Carolyn Kaptur
June 17, 1946 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA) University of Michigan (MUP) |
| Website | House website |
Marcia Carolyn Kaptur (/ˈkæptər/ KAP-tər; born June 17, 1946) is an American politician. She serves as a U.S. representative for Ohio's 9th district. She has been a member of Congress since 1983.
Marcy Kaptur is part of the Democratic Party. She is the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress. She passed Barbara Mikulski's record in 2023. She is also the leader of Ohio's group of representatives in Congress.
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Early Life and Education
Marcy Kaptur was born on June 17, 1946, in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents, Anastasia Delores and Stephen Jacob Kaptur, were both of Polish background. Her mother helped organize a union for car workers. Her family also ran a small grocery store. Marcy started helping the Ohio Democratic Party when she was just 13 years old.
She finished high school at St. Ursula Academy in 1964. She was the first person in her family to go to college. She earned her first degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1968. Later, she got a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan in 1974. She also studied urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981.
Early Career in Public Service
Before joining Congress, Marcy Kaptur worked in city planning. From 1969 to 1975, she was part of the Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions. She also directed planning for a group called the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs from 1975 to 1977. Later, she advised President Jimmy Carter on domestic policy.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Becoming a Representative
While studying at MIT, Marcy Kaptur was asked to run for Congress in 1982. She ran against Republican Ed Weber. Even though she spent much less money on her campaign, she won the election. She defeated Weber by a vote of 58% to 39%.
In 1984, she faced a tough opponent, Frank Venner, a TV anchorman. But she won again with 55% of the votes. From 1986 to 2002, she won every election easily, getting at least 74% of the votes. More recently, she has faced stronger challenges. In 2022, she won with 56.6% of the vote against J.R. Majewski.
Recent Elections
- 2006: Kaptur won her 13th term with 74% of the votes.
- 2008: She won her 14th term, again with 74% of the votes.
- 2010: A famous conservative figure, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher, thought about running against her. But he decided not to. Kaptur was challenged by Rich Iott, a favorite of the Tea Party movement. She won her 15th term with 59% of the votes. This was her closest win since 1984.
- 2012: After new district maps were drawn, Kaptur's district changed. It now included parts of western Cleveland. This meant she ran against another sitting congressman, Dennis Kucinich, in the Democratic primary. Kaptur won the primary with 56% of the votes. She then won her 16th term in the general election.
- 2014: Kaptur won against Richard May, a Republican activist, with 68% of the votes.
- 2016: She won her election against Donald Larson with 68% of the votes.
- 2020: Kaptur won her race against Rob Weber with 63% of the votes.
- 2022: Her district was redrawn again, making it seem more challenging for her. Even so, Kaptur defeated Republican J.R. Majewski, winning 56% to 43%.
- 2024: Kaptur won a very close election against Derek Merrin. She received 48.3% of the votes, while Merrin got 47.6%. This was the first time she did not get more than half of the votes.
Key Work in Congress
In 1996, Ross Perot asked Marcy Kaptur to be his running mate for Vice President. She said no.
In 2016, Kaptur supported Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. She introduced him at a rally in Toledo. Later, she supported the main Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
World War II Memorial
In 1987, Kaptur started the idea for the World War II Memorial in the House of Representatives. She introduced a bill to build a memorial for World War II veterans. The bill did not pass that year. She tried again in 1989, but those bills also did not become law.
In 1993, Kaptur introduced the bill for the fourth time. This time, it passed in the House and then in the United States Senate. President Bill Clinton signed it into law. Kaptur later said she felt "a great sense of fulfillment" that the memorial was built. She said, "This generation was the most unselfish America has ever seen."
2008 Economic Challenges
Marcy Kaptur was against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This law provided a bailout for U.S. banks. Her opposition to this bailout was shown in Michael Moore's 2009 movie Capitalism: A Love Story.
In 2011, Kaptur introduced a bill to bring back parts of the Glass–Steagall Act. This act used to keep regular banks separate from investment banks. She believed this separation was important for the economy.
Committee Roles
Marcy Kaptur serves on important committees in Congress:
- Committee on Appropriations: This committee decides how the government spends money.
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Ranking member): She is the top Democrat on this subcommittee.
- Subcommittee on Defense: This group focuses on funding for the military.
Caucus Memberships
Marcy Kaptur is part of several groups in Congress that focus on specific topics:
- Congressional Arts Caucus
- Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (co-chair): She helps lead this group, which supports Ukraine.
- Congressional Caucus on Poland
- Climate Solutions Caucus
- Blue Collar Caucus
Political Views
Free Trade
Marcy Kaptur does not support free trade agreements. She helped lead efforts against agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). She believes these agreements can hurt American jobs and businesses.
Patent System
Kaptur was against the America Invents Act, a law that changed the U.S. Patent System. She disagreed with changing from a "first to invent" system to a "first to file" system. She said this change would harm small businesses. She believed the old system was the best in the world.
She also supported a bill called the Restoring America's Leadership in Innovation Act. This bill aimed to make inventors' property rights stronger.
Gun Control
Marcy Kaptur voted for the H.R. 1808: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022. This law would ban certain types of semi-automatic rifles, like AR-15s.
Foreign Affairs
As co-chair of the Ukrainian Caucus, Kaptur strongly supports Ukrainians. She has spoken out in favor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She believes Ukraine has worked hard to be free from Russian interference. In 2023, she signed a letter asking President Joe Biden to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
In 2023, Kaptur voted against a resolution that would have required President Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria.
Immigration Reform
In 2010, Kaptur was one of 38 Democrats who voted against the DREAM Act. This bill would have given a path to citizenship for some young undocumented immigrants. The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate. However, she voted for the DREAM Act in 2021.
In 2024, Kaptur voted against the Equal Representation Act. This proposed law would have excluded non-citizens from the population count used to decide how many representatives each state gets in Congress.
Personal Life
Marcy Kaptur is a Roman Catholic. She has said that her Catholic faith is a very important part of who she is. She sees it as connected to her Polish heritage. She believes the Catholic Church gave her ancestors "worth and hope" during difficult times. Kaptur also admires Catholic social teaching, especially its focus on helping the poor.
The Washington Post newspaper described her as "an economic populist from America’s heartland." This means she supports policies that help working-class people. They also noted her "progressive values and a conservative disposition."
Images for kids
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Kaptur in 2018
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Portrait of Kaptur from the 1985 Congressional Pictorial Directory
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Ohio's 9th district, as it looked until 2013
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Ohio's 9th district, from 2013 to 2023
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The World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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Kaptur sits on the Committee on Appropriations while listening and discussing priorities for the U.S. Armed Forces in 2025
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Kaptur visits the Mobis electric vehicle battery facility in Toledo, 2024
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Kaptur speaks in support of Ukrainians affected by the Russo-Ukrainian war, 2023
