Trump’s going to a hastily organized appearance at the Ohio Republican Party State Dinner, having installed his own party chair in January. This visit occurs when the certification of the 12th Congressional District special election was announced today, Troy Balderson winning by .08%, 1,680 votes. However, “the top GOP official in the state — Gov. John Kasich — won't be there alongside him”.
More interesting will be whether at that dinner, Trump will even mention John McCain, considering his deliberate omission of McCain’s name in the ceremonies for the John S McCain National Defense Authorization Act. Always classy, the Donald. There’s always a golf day tomorrow.
Kasich, one of the party’s fiercest Trump critics, will not attend the dinner, spokesman Chris Schrimpf confirmed Wednesday. The governor said at a news conference earlier this week that he plans instead to take one of his twin daughters to college.
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Just last week, Trump blamed Kasich in a tweet for the GOP’s narrow margin in a special election in a Columbus-area congressional district — calling the governor “very unpopular” and arguing that he tamped down enthusiasm for Republican Troy Balderson in the race. Kasich responded with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin laughing.
Close win in a red district.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The result is almost official in a deadlocked special congressional election in Ohio.
Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson, of Zanesville, led Democrat Danny O’Connor, the Franklin County recorder, ended the Aug. 7 election separated by less than a percentage point.
With thousands of votes outstanding and an automatic recount possible, The Associated Press didn’t call the race.
The elections board in Franklin County, the most populous county in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, is set to certify official results Friday. If Balderson and O’Connor land within half a percentage point of each other, a recount would go forward.