John Berman: “The Marquee Race Is In Ohio In What Should Be A Strong Republican District. Republican Troy Balderson Is Clinging To A Razor-Thin Lead Over Democrat Danny O’Connor. President Trump Won This District By 11 Points Back In 2016.”
JOHN BERMAN: “New election results coming in, too close to call and way, way too close for comfort for Republicans this morning. A big, flashing, glaring, major warning sign for the midterm elections. The marquee race is in Ohio in what should be a strong Republican district. Republican Troy Balderson is clinging to a razor-thin lead over Democrat Danny O’Connor. President Trump won this district by 11 points back in 2016. But as you can see there it is very very close.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8//18; Video]
Ryan Nobles: “Make No Doubt, President Trump Went All In On This Race In Ohio.”
RYAN NOBLES: “And Make no doubt, president Trump went all in on this race in Ohio. He held a rally here, over the weekend, he tweeted his support of Troy Balderson yesterday morning, and he is already starting to spin his influence on this race, claiming in a series of tweets overnight that if he hadn’t come in to help out Troy Balderson he likely would not have been victorious. And make no mistake the president is claiming victory already.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8//18; Video]
Ryan Nobles: Let’s Look At The Reality Of The Situation Here In Ohio. This Was A Very Safe Republican Seat For More Than Three Decades. In Fact President Trump Won Here Comfortably Just Two Years Ago.”
RYAN NOBLES: “But let’s look at the reality of the situation here in Ohio. This was a very safe Republican seat for more than three decades. In fact President Trump won here comfortably just two years ago. And then there is also this, national republicans poured more than $5 million into this race. While national democrats poured about a million, and both of these candidates will be back on the ballot in November.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8//18; Video]
Ed O’Keefe: “Even If They Lose, Democrats Say The Close Margin Suggests Big Trouble For The GOP Here In Ohio And Across The Country This Fall.”
ED O’KEEFE: “The Columbus Dispatch calls this race a nail-biter, and it sure is. But those provisional ballot can’t be counted for another 10 days. Even if they lose, Democrats say the close margin suggests big trouble for the GOP here in Ohio and across the country this fall.” [CBS This Morning, CBS, 8/8/18; Video]
Joe Scarborough: “This Is Another Race Where Republicans Have Underperformed. They Underperformed In The District That Is Deep, Deep Red.”
SCARBOROUGH: “Republicans certainly know as well as Democrats that, I mean, this is another race where Republicans have underperformed. They underperformed in the district that is deep, deep red. I mean, I’ll talk to Steve in a second. I think maybe Democrats have won it once since the 1930s. But you see this same thing happening. They’re bleeding. Republicans are bleeding so badly right now in suburbs.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]
Michael Steele: “The Bottom Line Is That Republicans Got Exposed Last Night.”
STEELE: “The bottom line is that Republicans got exposed last night. This district is really one of the most conservative, reddest-leaning districts in the country, in the top seven of those districts, and to be in this position going into the fall is not a good sign.” [Morning Joe, MSNBC, 8/8/18;VIDEO]
John Berman: “New Election Results Coming In, Too Close To Call And Way, Way Too Close For Comfort For Republicans This Morning. A Big, Flashing, Glaring, Major Warning Sign For The Midterm Elections.”
JOHN BERMAN: “New election results coming in, too close to call and way, way too close for comfort for Republicans this morning. A big, flashing, glaring, major warning sign for the midterm elections. The marquee race is in Ohio in what should be a strong Republican district. Republican Troy Balderson is clinging to a razor-thin lead over Democrat Danny O’Connor. President Trump won this district by 11 points back in 2016. But as you can see there it is very very close.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8//18;Video]
Jeff Zeleny: “Without Question, And One Thing Is Clear, President Trump Is Firing Up Democrats And Independent Voters.”
JEFF ZELENY: “Without question, and one thing is clear, President Trump is firing up Democrats and independent voters around Franklin county, Ohio. There are few places in the country more important than those suburbs and that is clear. After all the special elections are over this year, he is definitely firing up the other side more than his side. This should not have been a race as we were talking about here.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8/18; Video]
Ron Brownstein: “I Feel That Ohio 12 Took A Big Sharpie And Underlined The Most Dramatic Trends That We Have Seen In All Of The Major Elections Since Trump Was Elected And Even In Trump’s Election Itself.”
RON BROWNSTEIN: “I feel that Ohio 12 took a big sharpie and underlined the most dramatic trends that we have seen in all of the major elections since Trump was elected and even in Trump’s election itself. We saw the continued movement as John was talking about of these white collar suburbs toward the Democrats. Franklin County which is affluent, educated and diverse, Barack Obama won it by three points in 2012, and Hillary Clinton won it by 18 in 2016, And then Donny O’Connor won it by 30 last night. Delaware again it went from 23 points in 2012 to 16 and 2016, and only eight last night although that turned out to make the difference. And that is what we have seen really everywhere, Virginia, Alabama, the suburbs of Pittsburgh with Connor Lamb.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8/18; Video]
Ron Brownstein: “I Think It Still Leaves Democrats On Track As Favorites To Win The House By Maximizing Their Gains In These Suburban White Collar Areas Around The Major Metros.”
RON BROWNSTEIN: “If you add it all up, I think it still leaves Democrats on track as favorites to win the house by maximizing their gains in these suburban white collar areas around the major metros. But it shows they have relatively tight margins for error if they can’t put into play a little more in the rural terrain that even though it didn’t turn out in great numbers still lean very heavily republicans.” [New Day, CNN, 8/8/18; Video]
Chuck Todd: “If It Took All Of This To Tensionally Get To A Tie In A District That The President Carried By Double Digits, They Can’t Do That In 435 Districts At The Same Time In November.”
TODD: “They spent $3 million on a single race, sent in the president at the last minute. When you think about it, this is a district, as Garrett noted, hasn’t been in democratic party hands since Ronald Reagan was if it took all of this to tensionally get to a tie in a district that the president carried by double digits, they can’t do that in 435 districts at the same time in November. You can do it a special election at the time and bail out water and triage and maybe save a district here and save a district there. When they are all on the ballot at the same time, most of these don’t go that way.” [Today, NBC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]
Tara Palmeri: “Republicans Are Playing Defense In Areas Of The Country They Never Thought They’d Have To. President Trump Says He’ll Be On The Campaign Trail Six To Seven Times Per Week Closer To The Midterms.”
[World News Tonight, ABC, 8/7/18; VIDEO]
Jonathan Karl: “The President Hopes To Blunt Any Democratic Enthusiasm By Campaigning Nonstop In The Fall. But Democrats Pointing To The President’s Unpopularity In Many Of The Competitive Districts This Election Cycle Say They Too Would Like To See The President Out There As Much As Possible.” [Good Morning America, ABC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]
Jonathan Karl: “This Is A District That President Trump Carried By 11 Points In 2016. The Previous Republican Incumbent In The Last House Race Won By More Than 35 Points. In Fact, George, If You Go All The Way Back To 1938 The Democrats Have Only Won In This District Once, So This Should Have Been A Layup For Republicans And Now It Is A Virtual Tie.”
[Good Morning America, ABC, 8/8/18; VIDEO]
John Heilemann: “Democrats Are Right To Feel Good About What They’ve Done Here Tonight. This Should Not Be A Contested Race Let Alone A Race That’s A Razor Thin Margin.”
JOHN HEILEMANN: “The second thing I’m a big fan of in analysis is context and Kimberly has provided some, and people on this network have been providing it all night. The fact that it’s a squeaker, a nail-biter, that we’re still too close to call at this hour, means that Democrats should have a lot to be happy about he. They’ve looked at this race and said, you know, but for a couple of a few votes here, we could steal this race and we have 90 days to do that with these same candidates on the ballot. Democrats are right to feel good about what they’ve done here tonight. This should not be a contested race let alone a race that’s a razor thin margin. But again, Republicans get the win and you can’t take that away from him, assuming that things hold, they get this W, and, you know, you can’t gainsay that.” [11th hour, MSNBC, 8/7/18; VIDEO]
Eli Stokols: “At Least When It Comes To The House, The Wind Is At The Democrats’ Back, The Numbers Look Good. If They’re Running Double Digits Ahead Of Where They Ran In 2016, They Are Going To Take The Number Of Seats That They Need To Win A Majority.”
[11th hour, MSNBC, 8/7/18; VIDEO]