Troy Balderson is officially up for re-election in November.
The Republican candidate for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District was certified the winner of a contentious and narrowly decided special election against Democrat Danny O’Connor for the remainder of Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi’s term. Tiberi, also a Republican, retired in January.
Balderson and O’Connor will face off again in the November general election for a full term in the longtime Republican-held district.
The official results come 17 days after the Aug. 7 special election. Though Balderson declared victory on election night, the two were separated by less than a percentage point in preliminary results. The Associated Press reported the two were separated by 1,680 votes, 520 votes more than the 0.5 percent difference that would have triggered an automatic recount in the state.
“I’m humbled by the support I’ve received from voters and look forward to representing Ohio’s 12th Congressional district in Congress,” Balderson said in a statement Friday.
It’s official… thank you #OH12! pic.twitter.com/lzuU7zKvyV
— Troy Balderson (@Troy_Balderson) August 24, 2018
Trump, who had appeared in Ohio the weekend before the election, had predicted on Aug. 7 a big November win for Balderson.
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
