In a closely-watched special election in Ohio, Democrat Danny O’Connor is within one percentage point of GOP nominee Troy Balderson. The final result won’t be official until absentee ballots are counted, but regardless of the outcome, this vote represents a +13 percentage point swing toward the Democratic candidate since the last election. The previous Congressman from this district, Republican Pat Tiberi, had won his election with 66% of the vote. This is a seat held by Republicans for more than 30 years, and the GOP outspend O’Connor 5-to-1 to hold onto it. This huge Democratic shift bodes poorly for the GOP and Balderson, who will have to defend this seat again in November.
In Washington state, results of the top-two primaries there indicate that Democrats may be running ahead of polls when it comes to actual voting. Seats that should be safely Republican look more like toss-ups after Tuesday night, and ostensible toss-up seats may lean more Democratic this year than expected.
Tuesday Night Is a Bad Sign for GOP Chances in the House (RealClear Politics)
O-H-I-No: Ohio’s special election is the canary in the GOP coal mine (Washington Examiner)
Washington state’s primary results paint a grim picture for GOP (CNN)