Ohio House candidate Troy Balderson (R) did not comment on Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) claim that Balderson did not invite President TrumpDonald John TrumpGary Cohn says Trump trade adviser the only economist in world who believes in tariffs House transportation committee chairman threatens to subpoena Boeing, FAA communication Pentagon sets new limits on transgender service members MORE to a campaign rally last Saturday, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Balderson said in a statement only that he “welcomed” Trump to his latest rally and was “honored” to have the president there, the newspaper reported.
Kasich over the weekend said Balderson told him he had nothing to do with Trump’s appearance at his rally.
“I asked [Balderson] the other day, ‘Why are you bringing Trump in?’” Kasich said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “He said, ‘Well, I don’t have anything to do with it.'”
“I think Donald Trump decides where he wants to go, and I think they think they’re firing up the base,” Kasich added.
Kasich, a leading GOP Trump critic and former Republican presidential candidate, said Trump’s involvement could harm Balderson’s chances in Tuesday’s special election because “the chaos that seems to surround Donald Trump has unnerved a lot of people.”
Many observers are closely watching Balderson’s race against moderate Democrat Danny O’Connor. Though the district is traditionally Republican, the candidates are neck-and-neck in the polls.
O’Connor’s campaign has made appeals to centrist Republicans who supported Kasich in 2016, but Kasich last month endorsed Balderson.
“Suburban women in particular here are the ones that are really turned off,” Kasich said of the race, according to the Dispatch. “It’s really kind of shocking because this [special election] should be just a slam dunk and it’s not.”