Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez on Tuesday seemed to think the special election in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District was still up for grabs.
Perez joined liberal radio host Bill Press where he mentioned the Aug. 7 election between Republican Troy Balderson and his Democratic opponent, Danny O’Connor.
"Forty-three states have flipped from red to blue in places like Oklahoma, Kentucky, across the map," Perez said, "and we have the most recent election in Ohio, the 12th Congressional District, which is a district Republicans have held for 35 years, and it was a jump ball."
"Has that been decided, by the way? I think they’re still counting ballots out there," Press commented.
"By the time they count it, it’ll be election, so don’t take any curtain measurements Mr. Balderson if you end up being declared the winner," Perez responded.
Balderson was certified as the winner last week in the special election, defeating Democratic opponent Danny O’Connor by a margin of less than 2,000 votes. They will compete again in the November midterm election.
Balderson released a statement after O’Connor conceded the race on Friday. "I’m humbled by the support I’ve received from voters and look forward to representing Ohio’s 12th Congressional District in Congress."
"Danny O’Connor ran a hard-fought race, but I look forward to earning the support of voters for a fourth time in November as I share my track record of getting things done for Ohioans, including balancing the budget, cutting taxes and creating an environment for job creation," the statement continued.
The race was closely watched by election observers as a possible bellwether heading into November’s elections. The district supported President Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by more than 11 percent in the 2016 campaign. It has historically been a solidly Republican district in congressional races.
The district could prove crucial to the Democrats' ability to retake control of the House of Representatives in November. Models created by FiveThirtyEight.com currently show Democrats with a greater than 50 percent chance of gaining a majority in the House.