President Donald Trump took credit for a likely Republican victory in Ohio after a dramatically close result.
“When I decided to go to Ohio for Troy Balderson, he was down in early voting 64 to 36. That was not good. After my speech on Saturday night, there was a big turn for the better,” Trump tweeted. “Now Troy wins a great victory during a very tough time of the year for voting. He will win BIG in Nov.”
When I decided to go to Ohio for Troy Balderson, he was down in early voting 64 to 36. That was not good. 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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018
Trump personally campaigned for Balderson in Ohio after national Republican organizations made a last ditch effort to save his campaign. The president won Balderson’s seat by a double-digit margin leading to worries among Republicans that the close result is warning of bad tidings to come.
Ohio’s special election is still down to the wire at 95% reporting. Less than 800 votes separate Democrat Danny O’Connor and Republican Troy Balderson in District 12.
Live results: https://t.co/SYLWinvZ3O pic.twitter.com/XKCEaneiwf
— POLITICO (@politico) August 8, 2018
Balderson’s margin of victory however is may trigger an automatic recount, though election experts expect him to emerge victorious.
Not-crazy scenario:
— Provisional ballots lower Balderson’s margin to a tick below 0.5%
— Which (if I’m reading the law right) will trigger an automatic recount in Ohio
— But Balderson wins the recount because recounts rarely reverse results unless it’s really *really* close.— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 8, 2018