Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Election suspense
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — A special election that tested President Donald Trump’s clout and cost both parties millions of dollars in battleground Ohio was too close to call late Tuesday.
Trump took credit for Republican candidate state Sen. Troy Balderson’s performance, calling it “a great victory,” even though the contest could be headed to a mandatory recount. County official Danny O’Connor, the Democratic candidate, meanwhile, vowed: “We’re not stopping now.”
The candidates were locked in a razor-thin contest at last count. There were at least 3,367 provisional ballots left to be reviewed. That’s enough for O’Connor to potentially pick up enough votes to force a recount.
The Republican president’s shadow also loomed over primary contests in four other states, including Kansas, where he roiled the governor’s race by opposing the GOP incumbent on the eve of the election.
Voters in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan and Washington state joined those in Ohio in Tuesday’s voting.
In Ohio, Balderson, an experienced Trump loyalist, was fighting off a strong challenge from a fresh-faced O’Connor in a congressional district held by the Republican Party for more than three decades. In an election morning tweet, Trump said Balderson would make a “great congressman.”
The winner will fill the seat previously held by Pat Tiberi, a nine-term incumbent who resigned to take a job with an Ohio business group.
Trump campaigned at Balderson’s side just 72 hours before the election in a weekend appearance to help energize his loyalists in a district the president carried by 11 percentage points in 2016.
At times, the race has centered on Trump’s tax cuts as much as the candidates.
O’Connor and his Democratic allies have railed against the tax plan, casting it as a giveaway for the rich that exacerbates federal deficits and threatens Medicare and Social Security. Balderson and his Republican allies have backed away from the tax plan in recent weeks, training their fire instead on top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
O’Connor has dominated Balderson on the local airwaves. His campaign spent $2.25 million on advertising compared with Balderson’s $507,000, according to campaign tallies of ad spending. The Republican campaign arm and its allied super PAC were forced to pick up the slack, spending more than $4 million between them.
Meanwhile, immigration hard-liner Kris Kobach was locked in a tight battle for the Republican nomination for Kansas governor late Tuesday.
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer and Kobach were virtually tied atop a seven-candidate field with nearly two-thirds of the precincts counted. Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, built a national reputation as a conservative agitator for both tough immigration policies and strict voter identification laws.
Some Republican operatives fear Kobach could lose the governor’s seat to Democrats this fall.
Trump made his preference clear for Kobach less than 24 hours before polls opened.
“He is a fantastic guy who loves his State and our Country — he will be a GREAT Governor and has my full & total Endorsement! Strong on Crime, Border & Military,” the president tweeted on the eve of the election. “VOTE TUESDAY!”
Republicans were hoping for Democratic discord in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District, a suburban Kansas City district where several candidates were fighting for the chance to take on Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in November.
The five-way Democratic primary featured labor lawyer Brent Welder, who campaigned recently with self-described democratic socialists Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and ascending political star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York congressional candidate.
Voters in suburban Detroit were also weighing in on the direction of the Democratic Party. Three mainstream Democrats were among those vying for a chance at retiring Republican Rep. Dave Trott’s seat in November. The field includes Fayrouz Saad, who would be the first Muslim woman in Congress.
In Missouri, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill claimed her party’s nomination, while state Attorney General Josh Hawley will represent the GOP.
And in Michigan, Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow will take on military veteran and business executive John James, who won the Republican nomination. He would join Tim Scott of South Carolina as the only black Republican senators if he wins in November.