ELECTION/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Elections held in five states Tuesday [8-7-18] underscored the Republican Party’s growing challenges with suburban voters, which could expand the battlefield in November’s midterms. In Ohio, Republican Troy Balderson’s apparent win in a House special election Tuesday came after he performed well in the exurbs and rural areas, but his victory margin was just 0.9 percentage point as Democrat Danny O’Connor racked up big leads in the Columbus suburbs. Mr. Balderson managed to eke ahead only after his party used every tactic in its playbook, from tying the Democratic candidate to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi —with more than $5 million in TV ads behind it—to having President Trump gin up the party base to help him. Still, the race could end up in a recount, and GOP officials began warning their colleagues that this playbook isn’t sustainable in November when dozens of seats will be contested.”
-Reid J. Epstein and Andrew Duehren, “This Week’s Elections Hold Warning Signs for Republicans,” The Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2018 8:29 pm