ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump will travel to Ohio on Saturday [8-4-18] to campaign for Republican special election candidate Troy Balderson, according to a senior party official — a move that comes amid rising GOP fears about the race. A Republican loss, coming after special election defeats in Pennsylvania and Alabama, would be deeply deflating for the conservative base and party donors, and provide more evidence that a wave is building against them heading into the midterms. National Republicans have bombarded the suburban Columbus district with more than $3.3 million in TV ads in an effort to boost Balderson, a state legislator, and attack his Democratic opponent, Danny O’Connor, ahead of the Aug. 7 special election. They are battling to replace longtime GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi, who resigned last fall. While Trump has so far focused his campaigning in conservative states, he has largely stayed away from suburban areas, where he’s less popular and the battle for control of the House is largely being fought. The president received 52 percent of the vote in the district in 2016. While Balderson has led by a small margin in private polling, Republicans worry that an energized Democratic base, declining support among independents and O’Connor’s big fundraising lead puts the seat at risk. The significance of the race is magnified by the fact that it’s the final special election before the midterms.”
–Alex Isenstadt and Elena Schneider, “Trump jumps into Ohio special election as GOP alarm grows,” Politico, August 1, 2018 9:31 am