Ohio special election — too close to call
The race is extremely close in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, where Democrat Danny O’Connor facing is off against Republican state Senator Troy Balderson. The winner will take over the term of Pat Tiberi, who resigned to work for a business group earlier this year.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Balderson has 50.1 percent of the vote, to O’Connor’s 49.3 percent. The vote may come down to counting mailed ballots.
The NRCC claimed victory for Balderson, although no major news outlet has called the race, and Mr. Trump also took credit for Balderson’s edge.
If the vote margin is ultimately within half a point, an automatic recount would be triggered.
Speaking to supporters late Tuesday night, O’Connor thanked his family and those who came out to vote for him. He did not concede.
“Tomorrow we rest and then we keep fighting through to November,” O’Connor told supporters.
Balderson seemed to claim victory.
“America is on the right path and we are going to keep going that way. It’s time to get to work,” he said.
Whatever the outcome of tonight’s special election race, the two could be running against each other again in just a few months. Both Balderson and O’Connor are the candidates for the November election, as well.
This central Ohio district isn’t a place where Democrats should be competitive, CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe points out. Mr. Trump won the 12th District by 11 points in 2016. Now, a 31-year-old Democrat has tightened the race for an open House seat that the GOP has held since the early 1980s.
O’Connor rallied his volunteers Monday. He’s facing Balderson, a state senator, who acknowledged “It’s going to be a tight race.” Balderson has earned endorsements from Mr. Trump and Vice President Pence.
HARTFORD, OH – AUGUST 06: Ohio Republican congressional candidate Troy Balderson makes a campaign stop at the Licking County Hartford Fair on August 6, 2018 in Hartford, Ohio.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Mr. Trump stumped in Ohio last week before heading to New Jersey for a working vacation, where he told the state’s supporters that they’re the “real elite.”
He praised Balderson for being the “total opposite” of O’Connor and derided the Democrat as a “Nancy Pelosi Liberal” who is “weak on crime and borders.”
To date, O’Connor has raised more money than Balderson this election cycle, CBS News’ Caitlin Conant points out. The Congressional Leadership Fund has spent $2.6 million in the race and the NRCC and DCCC have both invested money as well, with the NRCC spending almost $600,000 so far.
MANSFIELD, OH – AUGUST 05: Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Danny O’Connor greets worshipers during a campaign stop at Oasis Church on August 5, 2018 in Mansfield, Ohio.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Salvanto: No “bellwether” out of special election
CBS News’ Elections and Surveys Director Anthony Salvanto reports that no single district on Tuesday is considered a “bellwether” – whatever ultimately happens on election night will not foretell November.
He adds that there’s already been a string of special elections in which Democrats have over-performed. Ohio’s 12th district shares a lot of the characteristics of places that are competitive in November, so it will be widely and correctly seen as a test case if it is close, or if the Democrat manages to pull an upset win.
Balderson insults part of his district
At a campaign event in Zanesville on Monday evening, Balderson attempted to gin up support in his hometown by disparaging Franklin County.
“My opponent is from Franklin County, and Franklin County has been challenging. We don’t want somebody from Franklin County representing us,” Balderson said. Franklin County encompasses a relatively small portion of the district, on the outskirts of Columbus. It is one of the most populous areas of the district, and less Republican than the other, rural counties. Around a third of the vote is expected to come from Franklin County on Tuesday.
O’Connor quickly seized upon Balderson’s comments. “Our district deserves someone who is going to represent all of us,” O’Connor wrote on Twitter, adding that Balderson “just made it crystal clear that’s not him.”
