The race for the U.S. House District 12 seat continues between Republican Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor, with O’Connor up in funding and Balderson up in the polls.
Nearly three weeks after the Aug. 7 special election, Troy Balderson was declared the winner with a lead of 1,680 votes, according to The Associated Press. It was a 0.8 percent margin of victory, which is just above the threshold to require a recount.
With less than a week away from the Nov. 6 general election, O’Connor has raised significantly more in campaign funds than Balderson. The Federal Election Commission reported O’Connor had $879,369 on hand compared to Balderson’s $176,009 as of Oct. 26. Polling site Real Clear Politics said the race “leans GOP.”
Jane Timken, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said the race is going to be close, but turnout will be better in the general election than in the special election. She also said O’Connor has a lot of out-of-state money pouring into his campaign, which makes the race difficult for Balderson.
In early October, Vice President Mike Pence held a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. for Balderson. At the time of the fundraiser, Balderson had less than $100,000 in campaign funds, and O’Connor had $1 million.
Laurleena Todd, a junior health communications major, said she supports O’Connor but thinks Balderson will win.
Marybeth Curtis, a freshman history major, said she will vote on Nov. 6 and thinks O’Connor will win.
The District 12 seat was held by Republican Pat Tiberi until he resigned last October. Balderson’s state Senate seat will be filled after the election. That individual will have to run for a full Senate term in 2020.
The O’Connor campaign did not respond to request for comment.
