Donald Trump claims victory for Republican Troy Balderson in Ohio - but race still too close to call
Fresh concerns that US voters are turning against Donald Trump and could punish the Republican Party at the mid-term elections have emerged after a congressional race remained too close to call.
Troy Balderson, the Republican candidate in the traditionally conservative twelfth district of Ohio, was less than one percentage point ahead of his Democrat rival Danny O’Connor with some votes still to count.
Leading Republicans claimed victory, despite the result yet to be announced. Mr Balderon was 1,754 votes ahead but 3,435 provisional ballots still need to be counted.
However the political significance of the race was already clear, with debate playing out about why the Republicans had struggled to hold onto such a safe seat.
Mr Trump won the district by 11 points at the 2016 presidential election – less than two years ago. The Republicans have not lost the seat since 1983.
.....Congratulations to Troy Balderson on a great win in Ohio. A very special and important race!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018
The special election, called after the sitting Republican quit to take up a private-sector job, pitted the 56-year-old Mr Balderon against the 31-year-old Mr O’Connor. The race was for a seat in the US House of Representatives - one of two bodies that make up Congress.
What was meant to be a comfortable race turned into a major battle, with Republicans pouring in money – outspending the Democrats by a factor of more than 4 to 1 – and organising big-name endorsements.
Early attempts to sell the party’s achievements with positive messages on tax cuts gave way to a more negative campaign focusing on warnings on immigration, crime and social issues.
Mr Trump, who threw his support behind Mr Balderson with an Ohio rally on Saturday, attempted to claim credit with a tweet on Tuesday night as the result was emerging.
“When I decided to go to Ohio for Troy Balderson, he was down in early voting 64 to 36. That was not good,” he tweeted.
“After my speech on Saturday night, there was a big turn for the better. Now Troy wins a great victory during a very tough time of the year for voting. He will win BIG in Nov.”
It could be days for the race to be called formally and it will be rerun in just a few months when Americans return to the polls in November.
But it is the latest in a string of results that have seen Republicans struggle to win special elections in parts of the country that were previously solidly red.
In December, Alabama elected its first Democrat for the US Senate for decades, despite the fact Mr Trump won the state by 28 points in 2016.
Earlier this year the Democrats took a congressional seat in Pennsylvania’s eighteenth district, which Mr Trump won by almost 20 points in 2016, and came close in Arizona’s eighth district in similar circumstances.
Proof of Trump backlash?
There are fears that while the US president remains beloved by his support base – candidates he endorses in Republican primary races tend to do well – he is driving away more moderate Republicans.
The combination of fired-up Democratic supporters and Republican moderates indifferent or worse towards the president could have an impact on turnout in November’s mid-terms, a crucial factor.
If the ‘blue wave’ of Democratic voters really does materialise, as some have predicted, it could see Republicans losing the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate.
Such a development would undermine Mr Trump’s chances of passing major legislation in the last two years of his first term and open the door to impeachment proceedings.
Mr Trump was dismissive of criticism yesterday, pointing to victories for the Republicans in a string of recent races.
He tweeted: “As long as I campaign and/or support Senate and House candidates (within reason), they will win! I LOVE the people, & they certainly seem to like the job I’m doing.”
Earlier this year the Democrats took a congressional seat in Pennsylvania’s eighteenth district, which Mr Trump won by almost 20 points in 2016, and came close in Arizona’s eighth district in similar circumstances.
There are fears that while the US president remains beloved by his support base – candidates he endorses in Republican primary races tend to do well – he is driving away more moderate Republicans.
The combination of fired-up Democratic supporters and Republican moderates indifferent or worse towards the president could have an impact on turnout in November’s mid-terms, a crucial factor.
If the ‘blue wave’ of Democratic voters really does materialise, as some have predicted, it could see Republicans losing the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate.
Such a development would undermine Mr Trump’s chances of passing major legislation in the last two years of his first term and open the door to impeachment proceedings.
Mr Trump was dismissive of criticism on Wednesday, pointing to victories for the Republicans in a string of recent races.
He tweeted:
As long as I campaign and/or support Senate and House candidates (within reason), they will win! I LOVE the people, & they certainly seem to like the job I’m doing. If I find the time, in between China, Iran, the Economy and much more, which I must, we will have a giant Red Wave!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018
