The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is making a late play in a special election in Ohio, where voters will fill a vacancy created by a Republican congressman’s resignation earlier this year.The party has reserved about $240,000 in air time to bolster Danny O’Connor, the Franklin County recorder who faces state Sen. Troy Balderson (R) in the Aug. 7 special election in Ohio’s 12th District, according to a source tracking the advertising market.The DCCC did not immediately respond to calls and emails.O’Connor and Balderson are running to replace former Rep. Pat Tiberi (R), who resigned this year to take a job leading a prominent Ohio business group. The district includes the northern and eastern suburbs and exurbs of Columbus.The Democratic spending is a pittance compared to the more than $2 million that top Republican outside groups have spent on Balderson’s behalf.But O’Connor himself has outspent Balderson, who had to use most of his financial resources to get past several Republican challengers in the May primary.The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC tied to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), has dropped $1.5 million into the race.
Why the late investment, you ask?
This race is becoming similar to the Pennsylvania special election earlier this year. Democrats have a strong sense this race is very similar. Here’s another sign:
Sitting at a table with Ohio labor leaders, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh voiced frustration with what President Donald Trump has done in office and what he didn't do to help stop him.
"I regret that I didn't come to Ohio [to campaign for Hillary Clinton] during the presidential election," the second-term Democrat told members of the Central Ohio Labor Council in Columbus.
But Walsh did come to the Buckeye State on Thursday, trying to rally union members and other Ohio voters to support Democrat Danny O'Connor in the Aug. 7 special election for Ohio's 12th Congressional District and other Democrats in the November midterms.
Walsh saw the large number of Ohio union members who voted for Trump in 2016 and hopes to help reverse that this year.
"We had union members that didn't want to vote for Hillary Clinton because of guns, because of immigration, because of gay rights, because of every single social issue you can think about," said Walsh, a former construction union leader himself. "And not one of them was thinking about their own pocketbook."
The mayor is also set to attend a Mansfield rally early Thursday evening with O'Connor, 7th Congressional District Democratic nominee Ken Harbaugh and Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Betty Sutton. On Friday, he's scheduled to campaign with 1st Congressional District Democratic nominee Aftab Pureval before meeting with Democratic and union leaders in Indiana.
Let’s kick the Blue Wave off early. Click here to donate and get involved with O’Connor’s campaign.