REPORT: Republican Air Force veteran jumps into key House race to unseat 22-term vulnerable Dem

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From Fox News: Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is facing a new Republican challenger in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the form of Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem, who spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital about her campaign.

“This country saved me, I owe my life to this country,” Nadeem, a northwest Ohio native, told Fox News Digital, recounting her harrowing life story of being kidnapped by her father and taken to Iraq, where she lived under the rule of Saddam Hussein before the U.S. government worked to bring her back.

Nadeem joined the Air Force in response to the events of 9/11 and never planned on leaving the nonpartisan military world for politics until she spent time on Capitol Hill in recent years and realized that life for people in her district was not improving.

“I got to see firsthand all the things that were happening, and I’ve got to tell you, my hometown where I grew up was not better off,” Nadeem said. “I was seeing the policies that people were voting on, and especially the current person, Marcy Kaptur, who’s been here for almost 43 years. I didn’t think they were voting in a way that actually helped the way I grew up, blue-collar families.”

Nadeem, 40, explains that she was born in Ohio to an American mother an an Iraqi father. When she was 8 years old, she was taken to Ohio to visit her father’s family. Instead, her father kidnapped her and held her in Iraq for four years.  After she was rescued and returned home, she finished school in Ohio, then joined the military after the 9/11 terror attack.

Lt. Col. Alea Nadeem has served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, and is now running for U.S. Congress.

WATCH BELOW as Nadeem shared her story with Fox News.

Nadeem, a Republican, is running to unseat Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur, 78, who has served in Congress since 1983. Kaptur barely won re-election in 2024, and is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress.

Nadeem just posted a video on X Thursday, announcing the launch of her campaign for U.S. Congress.

“I am running for Congress to solve problems where career politicians have failed the good, hardworking people of NW OH. In the military, our focus is on getting results. I’ll fight for Ohio’s factories, farms, and families, along with President Trump’s America First policies that will protect the American Dream for future generations. #OH09,” she wrote.

WATCH BELOW:

Sharing a link to her campaign website, Nadeem wrote, “I was called to serve in the military after 9/11, and I am called to serve again to help the good people of Northwest Ohio who career politicians have let down. Learn what motivates me to fight for our future and our freedoms.” https://aleaforcongress.com/about-alea-nadeem/

“Thanks to everyone who reached out yesterday to offer their support, time, and money to help kick off our campaign for #OH09! After 4 decades, people want a Republican to fight and win!” she wrote in another post on Friday.

READ MORE from Fox News.

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