Campaign

GOP Rep. Balderson holds onto seat in Ohio

by Emily Birnbaum 11/06/18 10:56 PM ET

Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) held onto his seat Tuesday, eking out a victory against Democrat Danny O’Connor in a rematch widely seen as a referendum on President Trump.

Balderson won with about 51 percent of the vote to O’Connor’s 47 percent.

{mosads}The incumbent first won the seat during an August special election to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Pat Tiberi (R), who retired from Congress to lead a business association.

But O’Connor’s surprisingly competitive bid at the time and elevated the special election to a nail-biter that tested predictions of a “blue wave” among Democrats energized by resistance to Trump.

The special election was too close to call for almost three weeks, with Trump-backed Balderson ultimately winning by less than 1 percentage point.

Ohio’s 12th Congressional District contains suburban, rural and urban areas, with strong support for Balderson in rural locations such as Delaware County and more O’Connor supporters in the urban areas.

Trump won the district by 11 points in 2016, but Democrats targeted the seat, hoping to capitalize on suburban voters frustrated with the president.

Updated at 11:16 p.m.