Ohio Democrat Danny O’Connor, who appeared to narrowly lose a special election for the House seat in Ohio’s 12th District, rejected the idea that President Trump helped put his Republican opponent over the top.
Trump on Tuesday night took credit for GOP candidate Troy Balderson’s apparent victory. But O’Connor said Trump had nothing to do with it.
“I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about,” O’Connor said Wednesday morning of Trump’s claim.
“I don’t think he knows what he’s talking about,” says Danny O’Connor, Democratic candidate for OH-12, of Trump backing his opponent: “Troy Balderson can have all the people he wants fly in from DC. I don’t think it makes too much of a difference” https://t.co/9AtD7t8GWg pic.twitter.com/NzgA0Gdbj9
— New Day (@NewDay) August 8, 2018
“You can fly in, hang out here for a couple hours, fly out — you don’t walk on our roads,” he said. “You don’t have kids that go to our schools. You don’t deal with the public health crisis with addiction that we have here in our state every single day.”
“I don’t think it makes too much of a difference,” he said.
Trump saw it differently, and said in a tweet Tuesday night that his appearance in Ohio made a big difference in the result.
“When I decided to go to Ohio for Troy Balderson, he was down in early voting 64 to 36,” Trump tweeted. “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.”
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
As of Wednesday morning, the race hadn’t been called, but Balderson had a 0.9 percent lead over O’Connor. The two are likely to face each other again in the general election in November.
