Election analyst sees Dem chances improving in Ohio special election
BY BEN KAMISAR - 04/27/18 11:31 AM EDT
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analysis organization, has shifted its rating of the next major House special election to a toss-up — another sign that Democrats could make the red-seat race competitive.
Cook shifted the rating of Ohio's 12 Congressional District, vacated by former GOP Rep. Patrick Tiberi's resignation earlier this year, from a "lean Republican" seat to a "toss up."
It's the latest ominous sign for House Republicans, as this is a district Tiberi easily held during his 17 years in office and one President Trump won by 11 points in 2018. But Democrats are targeting highly-educated and wealthy districts like the 12th in the hopes that frustration with Trump can pull voters onto their side.
The move comes just weeks before the May 8 primary, where voters will cast their ballots in the special election primary as well as the general election primary. Voters need to choose someone to fill Tiberi's term through 2018, as well as their next member of Congress for the term that starts in 2019.
Crowded fields on both sides of the aisle complicate the handicapping in the race, as it's possible that the winner of each primary will emerge with a relatively low share of the vote.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/385181-election-analyst-sees-dem-chances-improving-in-ohio-special-election
