A photograph of Ohio’s 9th Congressional District frontrunner Derek Merrin with disgraced former State Rep. Wes Goodman is resurfacing in the final weeks of the increasingly combative Republican primary — raising questions about Merrin’s relationship with a lawmaker who was forced from office after being caught having sex with a man in his Statehouse office and who faced accusations of sexual predation toward young men.

The image, first published by Ohio political outlet The Rooster in December 2022, shows Merrin and Goodman poolside at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida. Goodman appears to be applying sunscreen to Merrin’s back. EXIF data obtained by The Rooster timestamps the photo to Oct. 16, 2017, at 4:09 p.m. — 29 days before Goodman’s resignation.

Merrin has never publicly addressed the photograph or his relationship with Goodman. Attempts to reach Merrin’s campaign for comment were unsuccessful.

Goodman’s downfall

Goodman, a Cardington Republican who represented Ohio’s 87th House District, resigned on Nov. 14, 2017, after a witness reported catching him engaged in a consensual sexual encounter with a man inside his Statehouse office. Then-House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger confirmed Goodman acknowledged the allegations and said the resignation was “the most appropriate course of action.”

The office encounter was not an isolated incident. Following his resignation, the Independent Journal Review reported that over 30 sources described a pattern of sexual misconduct in which Goodman solicited sex from young men ages 18 to 24 on social media, often under the guise of offering political mentorship.

In 2015, an 18-year-old college student attending a conservative conference near Washington, D.C., accused Goodman of fondling him while he slept in a hotel room. The student’s stepfather reported the incident to Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who confronted Goodman and urged him to withdraw from his Statehouse campaign. Goodman did not withdraw. He won his race unopposed in 2016. The allegation was never reported to police and did not become public until after his resignation, according to The Washington Post.

Multiple conservative organizations — including the Family Research Council and Ohio House Republican leadership — were aware of longstanding rumors about Goodman’s behavior before his election but did not act to prevent him from taking office.

Throughout his brief legislative career, Goodman had branded himself as a Christian conservative champion of “natural marriage” and “family values.” His campaign website declared that “healthy, vibrant, thriving, values-driven families are the source of Ohio’s proud history.” He later divorced his wife and reportedly underwent conversion therapy.

Merrin’s anti-LGBTQ record

The photograph is notable in part because of the legislative career Merrin built during and after Goodman’s tenure.

In 2021, Merrin personally requested that Ohio’s adoption law retain “husband and wife” language rather than adopt Governor Mike DeWine’s proposed update to “legally married couple” — a change that, while carrying no legal weight after the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling, was described by the ACLU of Ohio as “antiquated and exclusionary.” The Ohio Capital Journal identified Merrin and Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus as the two Republican lawmakers who specifically pushed for the change.

Merrin is also a graduate of the Statesmen Academy, a program run by the Family Policy Alliance that Type Investigations described as a “Christian nationalist boot camp” training state legislators to push anti-trans legislation nationwide. Five Statesmen Academy alumni — including Merrin — sponsored or co-sponsored anti-trans health care bans in 2022, according to the investigation.

During his time as the leader of the Ohio House Republican caucus in 2023, Merrin championed anti-trans legislation restricting participation in women’s sports as part of his stated legislative priorities.

‘A lot of rumors’

The photograph has followed Merrin beyond the Statehouse and into the OH-9 primary. In a June 30, 2025, video interview with The Rooster, State Rep. Josh Williams — a fellow Republican candidate in the OH-9 race — was asked directly whether he believes Merrin is “a closeted gay man.”

“There’s a lot of rumors about him. There’s a lot of rumors,” Williams responded. He referenced Goodman as someone who “was his roommates on many occasions” and described the photograph as deliberately suggestive. “The rumors have always been there.”

When pressed on whether the issue would factor into his primary campaign, Williams stopped short of committing to the attack. “I don’t operate that way,” he said. “For me, I operate on me being a good candidate.”

The primary

Merrin is one of five Republicans competing in the May 5 primary for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history. Kaptur defeated Merrin by fewer than 2,400 votes in 2024. The district now leans Republican at 54.5% to 45.5% under maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission in October 2025.

Williams, who serves as the Ohio House Majority Whip, is also running in the primary. TiffinOhio.net has previously reported on resurfaced sexually explicit Facebook posts from Williams’ personal page. Other candidates include Air National Guard Lt. Col. Alea Nadeem, former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan, and health care industry worker Anthony Campbell.

Early in-person voting begins April 7.