Rep. Troy Balderson has won re-election in Ohio's 12th Congressional District race, beating Democrat Danny O'Connor for the second time. O'Connor called Balderson to concede on Tuesday night.
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Just months after Balderson and O'Connor met for a special election to fill the seat of former U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, Balderson earned his first full term in Congress.
Balderson was the incumbent this time, having eeked out a win by less than 1 percent in the August contest. In fact, it took weeks for the final vote to be tallied.
This time around, Balderson's victory was more decisive, hovering just south of 5 percent.
The 12th District goes from Columbus into the suburbs and beyond, and it's been comfortably Republican for four decades. Balderson's August victory came up far short of Tiberi and President Trump's performances in the district, which is why Democrats targeted the 12th as a prime candidate for a "blue wave." Leading up to Tuesday, O'Connor outraised Balderson by more than $1 million.
But Balderson, who went to Washington in September, correctly predicted that the district's underlying demographics would help him win again. O'Connor campaigned especially hard with college students, who weren't in session during the last election, but those efforts fell short. He will remain as Franklin County Recorder through at least 2020.
Joe Manchik ran as the Green Party candidate.
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