Rep. Marcy Kaptur co-chair of the Hungarian American Caucus is favored to be re-elected

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is a Democrat and she is representing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District.  The 74-years-old politician has served in Congress longer than any other woman in history. Her congressional career started in 1983 and in November she has a good chance to be re-elected for another 2-year term.

Her Republican challenger is 48-year-old Rob Weber, a lawyer, a West Point graduate and former Army captain who has never held elected office.  Weber’s views seem to be more conservative that the constituency of the 9th District and one of the issues he faces that he doesn’t even live in the District.  (US Election Law doesn’t require candidates to live in the district they run for or serve in Congress.)

Kaptur is a Catholic, a moderate Democrat and a native of Toledo, Ohio.  She frequently refuses to follow her party’s direction.  Her family has strong Polish immigrant roots and worship in the Little Flower Roman Catholic Church in her hometown.

In 2016 she refused to support Hillary Clinton, instead she endorsed Bernie Sanders.  In 2019 she was a strong supporter of the impeachment inquiry of President Trump.

Behind the scenes Kaptur is a powerful Democrat, not only she chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, but also serves on the Defense Subcommittee and on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science. Previously she served on the Committees on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, Budget, Oversight and Government Reform, and Veterans’ Affairs.

Kaptur fears that Russia is trying to meddle in the US presidential campaign. “I don’t view Russia as a competitor,” she said “I view her as an enemy.”

In 2017 the Orbán Government attempted to woo Kaptur and awarded her the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit.  It didn’t work.  Last year in a letter to President Trump Kaptur strongly protested Orbán’s invitation to the White House.

Mr. Gergely Gulyás (right), Hungary’s Minister of the Prime Minister’s office with Rep. Kaptur. (Facebook photo of Rep. Kaptur)

“Prime Minister Orbán represents so many things that are antithetical to core American values. He has overseen a rollback of democracy in his country, used anti-Semitic and xenophobic tropes in his political messaging, and cozied up to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. He has also suppressed independent media and academic freedom in an effort to consolidate his increasingly autocratic rule. It troubles us to see the President of our country, which has historically supported the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide, meeting with a man who so regularly disregards these values,” she wrote.

Kaptur enjoys strong support in the large Hungarian American community in Ohio, she is the co-chair of the Hungarian American Caucus in Congress and is favored to be re-elected.

György Lázár

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