Vote for Government Shutdown Could Haunt Vulnerable House Dems
As a government shutdown looms in mere hours, votes from vulnerable Ohio Democrats in the House could come back to haunt them. Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Emilia Sykes, and Greg Landsman are being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee for their votes on Sept. 19 to not fund the government and how a Democrat-led shutdown would impact working Ohioans
While the House managed to pass a bill to fund the government through Nov. 21—with bipartisan support from Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine—it was not thanks to Kaptur, Sykes, or Landsman. (The continuing resolution currently lacks the votes necessary to pass in the Senate.)
The National Republican Congressional Committee has released an ad airing in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District (Kaptur), 13th Congressional District (Sykes) and 1st Congressional District (Landsman).
This 30-second ad focused on “sabotage” from Democrats over “threatening a government shutdown to stop President Trump’s policies.” The ad addressed immigration and crime. “Tell Democrats: Don’t hold the government hostage to put illegals before us,” a narrator urged.
The ad featured particularly leftist members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
The National Republican Congressional Committee targeted the three members further in a statement for The Daily Signal. “Out of touch Democrats Marcy Kaptur, Emilia Sykes, and Greg Landsman proved that when it matters most, they’ll stand with the radical far left instead hardworking Ohioans. Their votes to jeopardize veterans’ care, public safety, and military pay just to please their extreme base won’t be forgotten by Ohioans,” said NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon.
The Daily Signal reached out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for comment.
Past comments from such members are also relevant. In September 2023, when then-President Joe Biden was in office, Kaptur called on then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to “avoid this shutdown!” She also posted that “I work across the aisle to find the Big Middle and deliver for NW OH.”
“Regardless of those who seek to obstruct, Congressional Democrats and President Biden will continue to work on behalf of the American people, and ensure our federal government remains open and operational,” a statement of hers from September 2021 reads in part.
“Our most basic duty as members of Congress is to keep the federal government running for the people we have the privilege of serving,” Sykes said as part of a statement in January 2024.
“This is as serious of a moment as it gets. We absolutely have to prevent a dangerous government shutdown that could blow up the economy and hurt millions of workers and nearly every one of our families,” Landsman said as part of a statement in January 2024.
The Daily Signal reached out to Kaptur, Sykes, and Landsman for comment about the ad and their recent votes in light of their prior concerns.
Kaptur, who won reelection last year by 0.7 percentage points, is in a “Toss-Up” race. State Rep. Josh Williams, a Republican running to challenge Kaptur, called out the congresswoman’s vote in a statement for The Daily Signal.
“Marcy Kaptur is siding with Washington liberals instead of standing up for Northwest Ohio families. By voting against a commonsense plan to keep the government open, she signaled her support for giving free healthcare to illegal immigrants, sending trillions of taxpayer dollars overseas, creating a slush fund for left-wing organizations, and slashing $50 billion from rural hospitals. Her priorities couldn’t be clearer: Marcy Kaptur puts the radical left ahead of Northwest Ohioans,” Williams said.
Sykes who won by 2.2 percentage points against Kevin Coughlin last year, is also in a “Toss-Up” race.
“We are all tired of Emilia Sykes fueling dysfunction in Washington. A government shutdown has real consequences for Ohio’s veterans, seniors, and working families. We deserve leadership that puts people first. Once again, Sykes chose political theater over real people,” Coughlin, who is running to challenge Sykes in a rematch, told The Daily Signal.
Republican leaders have also expressed concerns about a shutdown amounting to a “hostage” situation. “This is purely and simply ‘Hostage Gate’ on behalf of the Democrats,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Monday. Republicans in both chambers are also specifically blaming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., with the label of “Schumer Shutdown.”
Even certain Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman, have expressed concerns about a government shutdown, making him one to watch.
As statements from the National Republican Congressional Committee and Coughlin stressed, a shutdown would bring a blow to working Ohioans, the people such members and other Democrats claim to support. There’s also concerns about the harm affecting government workers, should a shutdown take place.
A shutdown remains likely with less than eight hours to go.
