Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday he’s optimistic about his party’s chances in November, after a Democrat nearly picked off a Republican newcomer in an Ohio special election that has historically been an easy GOP win.
“This gives me optimism, not only about this seat but about other House seats, the U.S. Senate, and governors races,” Perez said on CNN.
[Also read: Trump takes victory lap, ignoring blue warning signs]
DNC chair Tom Perez has “optimism” for Democrats heading into the midterms. He explains why: pic.twitter.com/qblpaW9SiF
— New Day (@NewDay) August 8, 2018
GOP candidate Troy Balderson had a lead of less than 1 percent with all the votes counted, and the race hadn’t been called. Even if Balderson hangs on for the win, the two are likely to square off again in the general election in November.
While Perez acknowledged that a moral victory isn’t the same thing as an actual victory, he said there are many other races coming up that are even more competitive than the 12th District in Ohio, which should give Democrats a good chance to pick up seats.
“There’s 60 seats in the House that are more competitive than this race yesterday,” he said.
