Republican wins contested House seat in Ohio

Ohio election officials Friday certified Republican state Sen. Troy Balderson as the winner in a special election for the state’s 12th Congressional District. Balderson defeated Democrat Danny O’Connor in the Aug. 7 election by just 1,680 votes—520 more than the amount that would have triggered an automatic recount. Balderson will finish retired Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi’s term but must face O’Connor again in the general election in November. Republicans have represented the 12th District for all but two of the last 80 years. In 2016, Donald Trump won the district by 11 percentage points, and Tiberi captured two-thirds of the vote. O’Connor’s strong showing in the race has Republicans worried they might lose momentum in the battleground state going into the midterm elections.