Former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove says Republicans have a “fighting chance” to keep their House majority.
In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Rove didn’t go so far as to say there will be a “red wave” in November, but he did say there’s evidence that the “blue wave” that might have given Democrats control of the House and Senate may be receding.
“The bottom line: While Republicans will certainly lose House seats in November, they have a fighting chance to keep their majority,” Rove wrote late Wednesday.
Rove said that the likely victor in Ohio’s Tuesday special elections, Troy Balderson, won because he was a good candidate, his Democratic rival Danny O’Conner embraced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and President Trump endorsed him in a rally the weekend before the elections.
“While Republicans can’t mount this gigantic an effort in every race this fall, neither can Democrats, who were left claiming a moral victory for coming very close to taking an open Republican seat. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” Rove wrote.
Trump credited a rally he held in Ohio just before this week’s special election for helping Balderson to defeat his Democratic opponent.
