Trump-backed Republican Troy Balderson holds narrow special election lead over Democratic newcomer Danny O'Connor in deep-red Ohio district that Trump dominated in 2016

AP Photo/John Minchillo

12th Congressional District Republican candidate Troy Balderson speaks during a rally with President Donald Trump, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, in Lewis Center, Ohio.

• Trump-backed Republican Troy Balderson held a narrow lead over Democratic insurgent Danny O'Connor in Ohio's 12th District special election on Tuesday night, leading the race by nearly 1,800 ballots.
• A victory for Balderson was not unexpected in the deep-red district where Donald Trump won by 11 points in the 2016 presidential election, but the narrow margin is seen as a positive sign for Democrats who are working to reclaim a majority in one or both houses of Congress in November.
• In the meantime, Balderson is expected to take the House seat abandoned by Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi, who announced his resignation in October, midway through his term.
• Balderson and O'Connor will face each other again in the general election, November 6.

Trump-backed Republican Sen. Troy Balderson held a narrow lead over his Democratic challenger, Danny O'Connor in Tuesday night's special election in Ohio's 12th congressional district. With 100% of precincts reporting, Balderson led the race by nearly 1,800 ballots, in a deep-red district that Donald Trump won by 11 points in the 2016 presidential election.

Balderson is expected to take the House seat abandoned by Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi, who announced his resignation in October, midway through his term.

That narrow margin on Tuesday night is seen by some as a promising sign for Democrats ahead of the November midterms, because the 12th district has been a Republican stronghold for more than 30 years. It could signal another competitive contest between O'Connor and Balderson when they meet again in the November 6 general election.

"I'd like to thank President Trump," Balderson said in his victory speech, even as several news networks held off on calling the race late Tuesday.

The two candidates swapped the lead at multiple times Tuesday night. At one point, with 95% of the votes counted, Balderson was up by just 741 votes over O'Connor, amounting to a 0.4% advantage.

According to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, with all precincts reporting, the unofficial vote tally came down to:

• Balderson: 101,574
• O'Connor: 99,820
• Joe Manchik (Green Party): 1,127

Balderson, a 56-year-old GOP state senator, is a former auto dealer, while the 31-year-old O'Connor, is the Franklin County recorder. Recent polling had them nearly neck and neck, with O'Connor picking up significant momentum in the race's final weeks.

Eliza Relman contributed to this report.