Danny O’Connor for Congress

 
 

One of the more prominent and discussed congressional elections of the 2018 Midterms was the race between Danny O’Connor (D) and Troy Balderson (R) for Ohio’s 12th District. After Rep Pat Tiberi voluntarily left office in January 2018, Gov. John Kasich set a May primary and an August special election to fill the vacated seat.

Just like in Conor Lamb’s shocking special election win earlier that year, this race was earmarked by outlets like the New York Times as the next, “big test of the Democrats’ promised blue wave… (and) will offer clues of Democratic strength, particularly on the kind of suburban terrain that will be critical in numerous races this fall as Democrats try to wrest control of the House.”

But flipping this seat was going to be an even bigger uphill battle: since 1939, OH-12 had voted in a Republican for all but one two-year term (81 - 83). Danny O’Connor was a great candidate, concerned most with eschewing party lines to make bipartisanship the key focus of his campaign. And O’Connor made major waves, rallying support from both sides of the aisle. Additionally, he stuck to his morals and rejected any campaign contribution from PACs or corporations — and 97% of his campaign contributions were from individual donations of $100 or less.

Despite these inroads, it was expected that Troy Balderson would run away with the race. However, on election night it was too close to call, which was something no one was expecting. Although O’Connor could not overcome the inherent political leanings of the district and lost 50.12% to 49.32% — a razor thin margin — his special election result was a success in and of itself.

Press

 
 

Credits
Firm: AKPD Message & Media
Director of Photography: Andrew Dryer
Role: Producer
Year: 2018