A win is a win….
And it looks like win will go to the Republican….
But the district would just be a walk in the park for Republicans…
It wasn’t…
Democrats feel they’ll do better there in less than three month when there is a ‘do over’…..
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday that Democrat Danny O’Connor’s strong performance in an Ohio special election “gives me optimism,” even though O’Connor narrowly trails Republican Troy Balderson in the too-close-to-call race.
With votes still being counted, Balderson leads O’Connor by less than 1,800 votes, a difference of less than a percentage point in a Congressional district where President Donald Trump won by 11 points in 2016.
After being out-fundraised by the Democratic candidate, Balderson was boosted by a visit last weekend from the president as well as by a wave of spending by national GOP groups to potentially pull off what will likely be a tight victory.
“In 2016 the Republican who ran for this seat won it by over 30 points. Here we are, we have a dead heat today, a rematch in 90 days,” Perez said on CNN on Wednesday morning. “This gives me optimism, not only about this seat but about other House seats, the U.S. Senate and governor’s races.”
Balderson who had 50.2 percent of the vote as of Wedensday morning, will face off again against O’Connor, who got 49.3 percent, in November’s midterm elections….
image…Greg Nash
There are over 5,000 absentee ballots to count and then provisional ballots.
The Republicans outspent the Democrat at least three to one.
Encore in November that the Democrat is positioned to win with a higher turnout and Brown leasding the State ticker.
Democrats are also in a good place to win two Republican seats in Washington State after yesterday’s primary.
If they turn out?
If some of the Trump 2016 vote peels away ?
The Democrats are gonna have good House vote results….
Wouldn’t it be nice to have those House votes help Democratic Senate candidates?????
Dave Wasserman
New rating changes coming this PM to @CookPolitical:
#KS02: OPEN (Jenkins) (R) – Lean R to Toss Up
#KS03: Yoder (R) – Lean R to Toss Up
#NY27: Collins (R) – Solid R to Likely R
#OH15: Stivers (R) – Likely R to Solid R
#WA03: Herrera Beutler (R) – Likely R to Lean RDave Wasserman
The count in Ohio just got a little closer. It ain’t over until it’s over right?! I knew Balderson should have had an open bar on election night like Danny O’Connor did.
Interesting that the Republican candidate thanked Trump for his apparent victory and not John Kasich. Big mistake. As I said before, I expect this seat to go Democratic in November with Senator Brown heading the ticket and a higher turnout.
Doesn’t help that the Republican keeps running away from Gym Jordan, because over the next few months that scandal should get a lot worse and the molestation questions will keep coming. Balderson will really have to wrestle with his answer on that one. What is it with Republicans and wrestlers.
On Sunday night we went to Congressman Mike Thompson’s pasta feed at the Gallo Winery. As he often does he had Members of the Party leadership with him, including Nancy Pelosi who has her weekend house across the street. Everyone was, of course, on the same page. Talking about the “culture of corruption” (see Chris Collins, Gym Jordan, Devin Nunes, Wilbur Ross, and Paul Manafort).
The parallels between 2006 and today are rather amazing. The Gym Jordan scandal reminds me of just how the whole Hastert scandal began to break. It was silly of Jordan to try to obstruct the investigation into the fact that he clearly refused to act when the evidence of sexual misconduct was brought to him as a coach. It must really gall those young wrestlers that he is now trying to get them to change their story and lie about what he obviously knew was going on.
But Nancy, Thompson, Hakeem Jeffries, and Ben Ray Lujan all stayed on message, a message about the culture of corruption, economic growth, and health care. It was interesting that none even mentioned Trump’s name. The idea that Congress has to change in order to check Trump was understood by those attending (there were over 3,000 of us).
Since we were sponsors of the event we did get the opportunity to speak to Nancy before we all sat down to dinner. She had just gotten in from Minnesota and was about to leave that night for New Mexico to continue her fundraising tour. So, I can say with confidence, that if the Democrats take back the House, Nancy will be Speaker again — if for no other reason than to constipate millions of overweight white Republican men who hate her.
She knows how to count, and has given candidates permission to disavow her when necessary. But, when it comes time to elect a leader, she will have the votes. This whole “the pundits are saying” bullshit is simply a Republican talking point aimed at getting Democrats to do what we do best. Clutch our pearls in public and fret about about Nancy Pelosi.
So, consider this, Paul Ryan is leaving office while still in his forties because he cannot control his caucus, and Nancy (in her mid-seventies) is still going strong. I have always said, Paul can’t fill Nancy’s jock strap.
But, I will make one prediction. The Nunes tape released last night will come back to haunt Republicans in swing districts (especially on the West Coast). Because it is exhibit A for the fact that the Republicans in Congress are just shills for Trump.
There is a moral imperative to remove them from office.
Thanks Keith for the 411….
And I agree Pelosi is likely to have the gavel back again..
At least for a short time…
A two-term state senator who was backed by President Donald Trump but who also promoted his ties to Trump critic Gov. John Kasich won a previously deadlocked congressional special election in Ohio, retaining a coveted open U.S. House seat long held by Republicans.
State Sen. Troy Balderson, of Zanesville, was certified Friday as the voters’ pick over Democrat Danny O’Connor, the Franklin County recorder, to complete the unexpired term of former long-time U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, who retired in January. After final absentee and provisional ballots were counted, Balderson defeated O’Connor by 1,680 votes — a mere 0.8-percent margin in a district Trump won by 11 points two years ago….
More…
Of course Trump’s rally brought out the rural vote in the 12th and put Balderson over. Democrats and haters keep down playing his many many achievements. It won’t serve them well. They got nothing to vote for, with out of touch Nancy and Bernie. The GOP will hold the house and gain in the senate. This is just a preview.
Not sure of what achievement are you most proud of? Borrowing from China to pay for a tax cut that mostly impacts the wealthy – leaving it to a future administration to pay the bills? Record spending? A reduction in exports? Fewer tourists to the US spending? baby jails? Giving North Korea getting the propaganda it needed to legitimize itself? or what?
Let us know the top thing you are proud of.
Trump is simply enforcing our immigration laws (for once) and preserving our culture. He has brought peace to Korea. The missile launches are over. The tax cuts are working. Look at the employment rate.
Most folks know all this stuff. You liberals have nothing to counter it with but big government and that’s why you’ll fail.
posts like this scream “liberal parody” especially the “culture” part, but I have seen enough crazy stuff from actual Trump fans, that I don’t even know anymore. It might as well be real.
The vote in OH-12 should NOT be THIS close…
It’s a solid Red district…
Trump wasn’t the only GOPer to drop in …
But I repeat…
The GOPer’s cannot ford to spend over $9M and so much time there again in less than 3 months…
The trend in the small voting number Specials has been strongly Democratic with more of their pickups…
As for immigration?
It’s more of a mix-up then strong enforcement….
Most of Trump/Miller efforts have been stymied by Federal Judges…
Deportations are still occurring…
But yes?
Legal immigration is actually down…
We also have a Atty Gen who says he will do EVERYTHING he can to circumvent the law when it comes to immigration…
And America is CONTINUING to get Browner….
Immigration is actually about the Congress…
The Democrats making considerable gains in the House this year and in 2020 in the Senate should be able to legislate some kind of concrete reform…
Americans in the polls SUPPORT Obamacare, Medicare and Social Security….
All BIG GOVERNMENT and even Social Programs….
Yes – What do you mean by “preserving our culture? Please elaborate.
With regard to the “tax cuts are working”, if you borrowed money from a bank and went on a spending spree, your standard of living might temporarily increase, but that doesn’t mean it was a prudent move. Virtually any tax cut will stimulate the economy – especially if it is not coupled with a spending decrease, but very few economists – including many conservative ones – support the tax cut. Greece had massive deficit spending for years too, but now it has to pay the price.
What do you mean he brought peace to Korea? Do you mean that he is no longer threatening the North Korean dictator? North Korea’s “missile launches” were tests. They essentially got what they wanted from Trump, and even got good propaganda with photo ops and using Trump’s “war games” phrase. But now that they got what they needed, they made it clear that they have no intention of giving up their missiles.
And there was no Democratic or Republican administration that was more “big government” since LBJ than the Trump administration.
The missile threats stopped and we got the American remains back. This is a feat that snowflake Obama or even W could never have achieved. Stop trying to down play Trump’s work. Typical liberal media trick.
Trump’s goal is to trim regulations and he continues to do so. That’s a fact. The US isn’t Greece. They don’t have a work force or industry or resources like us. Our stimulated productivity and job growth will pay for the cuts.
Our culture is not a Mexican, African, or Muslim culture. It is the American culture we group up with. We must defend it.
Doesn’t the American culture we grew up with and should defend include the contributions of Mexicans, Africans, and Muslims?
Nice of you to trust Kim Jong-Un by the way. Is he really getting rid of his nukes? How do we know for sure? How can this be verified?
And on the remains, they returned far less than they promised. So, Trump got snookered but is too embarrassed to say anything about it.
If Kim Jong Un doesn’t make good on his word, Trump can just send the troops back into South Korea – just – like – that. He has achieved more than any other president on this issue. it’s not even close
I have nothing against those other cultures, but they are not our culture. We finally have a president who is tough enough to defend our country and culture, like other countries do, and y’all are freaking out. All I can say is, it’s about time.
Why would the troops leave South Korea now? That would be a huge mistake for America and our allies.
Kim Jung-Un needs to disarm on America’s terms. I don’t think he cares to do that and Trump is too weak to push him on it. So, nothing will change. Eventually, there will be another “test.”
I was unaware that any troops had been withdrawn from South Korea.
So what troops would he be sending back in?
I think that Trumpfan is confusing (1) a troop drawdown that Trump would dearly love but which he hasn’t so far begun to implement with (2) what Trump actually conceded, an end to the annual military exercises (or war games) conducted by the armed forces of the U.S. and the Republic of Korea (S. Korea).
This was a real concession in exchange for promises and a small something that North Korea (or the DPRK) should have given up or traded decades ago — the remains of a few members of the U.N. command who died 55 years ago.
(Wherever you fall on the left-right, D-R, hawk-dove spectrum, it’s hard to condone such a callous, calculating attitude. Those closest to these men and women have mostly passed away themselves.)
If Trump is so big on defending an “American culture”, why does he keep marrying foreign women?
The American culture includes all races, all ethnicities, and all religions. We all live together and work together for the most part. Things can always be made better in those regards, but this experiment has succeeded in America like it has nowhere else. All kind of people from all backgrounds have made America great and our culture the envy of the world. That’s what Ronald Reagan would have told you. You ought to study him a bit more.
I don’t know, maybe he just has a thing for Euro women? Just like my buddy who is attracted to Japanese women…. Who cares.
I was referring to the “war games” that were cancelled. Trump could restart those right away. Trump’s a better negotiator than those other presidents. He got what he wanted by doing that and it’s working. They just better not cross him…..
He has a thing for a Euro man named Vladimir as well.
Trump is the worst negotiator ever. As bad as Obama. All he cared about in the NK debacle were the photos. Like most Americans, I was willing to try to give him the benefit of the doubt about those talks, and all he did was embarrass his country.
I don’t care about Trump’s taste in Russian women either – although it is ironic for someone who is such a nationalist.
If Trump is a better negotiator, then why has the trade deficit deteriorated? What “deal” did Trump make that you agree with?
I’m sure we all remember those Russian women from those ads James used to run here in years past.
I was always sorry to see them go.Added a smidgen of titilation to this exclusively male site!
Trump hasn’t withdrawn any troops from South Korea. I agree with you in that I hope he does – but he hasn’t yet.
American troops never LEFT South Korea …
Trump ordered the temporary halt in big defense excesizes with the South Koreans….
The North has begun working on its test sites again..
Even Bolton and Pence now says the North will NOT. Give up their nukes anytime now or in the near future….
Trump got rolled….
There is no issue in him talking to theses guys
But Trump has gotten little in return
I just don’t see how Trump did not make things much worse in the areas that I mentioned.
With regard to North Korea. You forgot a major point. The missile threats didn’t start until Trump took office, so it seems almost foolish to give Trump credit for ending it. Bottom line is that North Korea got everything it wanted. Trump got the remains of a dead soldier. You and I can disagree as to how important that is – although I am sure it was important for that family.
I gave the Greece example to illustrate that Trump is borrowing heavily – much like Greece did, but ultimately a country will have to pay the price for a short term stimulus to the economy.
Define what is the African and Mexican culture? By Muslim culture, I assume that you don’t want to live in a country in which everyone has to follow one religion and that religion is integrated in the state laws. If that is what you meant, then I agree. If not, what do mean by Muslim culture?
In my opinion, regulations can be either good or bad. At some point, I think all of us believe in some food or environmental safety, or to prevent against unethical businesses (like Trump University by the way). What regulation that Trump got rid of that you approve? Do you agree with Trump that people shouldn’t have to buy health insurance – and everyone else should have to pay the bill when someone without insurance uses the emergency room?
NK was threatening America and conducting missile tests long before Trump became President.
‘Our ‘ Culture?
Our American ‘culture’ is bagels, taco’s French fries, pizza, pretzels , fried rice ….
It’s being a Christian , Jew, and yes a Muslim…
‘Our’ culottes borrows from ALL who have come to this place from Native Americans to those from Iran and Russia….
Donald Trump and Stephen Miller have NO RIGHT to define a country of 300 million plus in THEIR TERMS….
Amen to the judges that have halted their misguided efforts to go backwards
Franklin County has found and added 195 votes for O’Connor in the OH-12
“Of course Trump’s rally brought out the rural vote in the 12th and put Balderson over”
Actually turnout was down in the rural part of the district.
Kasich would have gotten Balderson over the finish line, with a strong turnout in one particular county. (This used to be Kasich’s district) but the Trump people will never accept that. It wouldn’t have even been close if not for Trump. It’s like a drunk driver crashing into a car but wanting credit for offering their First Aid kit to the injured.
In a general election, a few short months later though, this race will not be as targeted and Balderson, is more heavily favored again.
Kris Koback winning the primary (narrowly) for KS Governor, if that happens, thanks to Trump’s Tweet, will have been the worst result for Republicans on the night.
Would Balderson agree with you?
Didin’t Donald Trump run against ‘crooked’ Washington?
I love the fact that Balderson actually ran away from reporters when he was asked if he supported Gym Jordan for Speaker.
Profile in Cowardice
A multitude of Dem pundits and strategists were on tv last night saying they expected Democrats to take control of the House and for Pelosi to bow out after the election because the party feels like it needs someone else.
Maybe she will. Won’t bother me. The main thing is we get the majority back.
Along those lines though, more and more Democrat House candidates, such as this O’Connor guy who came close, will say that they do not support Pelosi.
So, Republicans will be asked about Jordan and Democrats will be asked about Pelosi. I don’t think either of them should be Speaker.
Ironically, the person who might be called Speaker next year could be “Mr. Ryan.”
No Democrats are going to run away when asked about Pelosi the way Balderson did when asked about Jim Jordan.
And for good reason
Being liberal isn’t the same as covering up sexual abuse.
They dodge that question all the time on Pelosi.
They are having to dodge Ocasio-Cortez questions too (not about the Speakership) lately as well.
Balderson literally ran away when asked about creepy Jim Jordan.
Again, being associated with liberals is not the same as being associated with someone who covers up sexual abuse. At least not to most Americans
I once had an incumbent Democrat State Rep. run away from me when she was campaigning and came up to my table in a restaurant and I asked her if she would vote for Michael Madigan to be Speaker.
Jordan is controversial because of his politics and his personality.
If presented with the facts as they are known in this particular case, very few Americans would say they considered Jim Jordan to have covered up sexual abuse when he was in his 20s.
My feeling is Pelosi will be allowed
To hold the gavel for at least a short period of time….