Democrats looking for a shocking underdog win in a special election in Ohio on Tuesday are hoping not only to snatch a House seat in a historically Republican district, but also to energize their national effort to fight President Trump's agenda and reclaim a congressional majority.
Ohio's 12th Congressional District, in the suburbs of Columbus, has had a Republican representative for 35 years, and has been largely in GOP hands since 1920. But a poll released Monday by Monmouth University showed that Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson, 56, leads upstart challenger Danny O'Connor, 31, by just one percentage point.
Trump, who won the wealthy and highly educated district by double-digits in 2016, went all-in for Balderson with a last-minute rally on Saturday night in a sweltering auditorium that Trump said hit "110 degrees," ruining his "brand-new, beautiful suit." Former President Obama took the district by several percentage points in 2008.
“A vote for Danny boy and the Democrats is a vote to let criminals and drugs pour into our country,” Trump said. “And to let MS-13 run wild in our communities. And you know what they do once they’re there.”
The president went on to describe O'Connor as a "puppet" for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. O'Connor once vowed not to vote for Pelosi to again lead the party, but later backtracked, saying he would support the 78-year-old if it was necessary to retake the House.
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04.28.2025