President Donald Trump issued an endorsement via Twitter for U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington, for the special election on Aug. 7, despite the fact that the congressman isn’t up for re-election until the general election on Nov. 6.
The president seemingly confused Stivers with Ohio state Senator Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, who is running against Danny O’Connor, a Democrat, for the 12th District seat in the August 7 election.
Trump tweeted that two days prior to a Delaware County rally to support Balderson on Saturday evening.
“We weren’t necessarily expecting anything from the president and we’re certainly flattered by the tweet, but people on August 7 need to vote for Troy Balderson,” Adam Rapien, Stivers' campaign manager, said.
The tweet was deleted 10 minutes after it was posted, according to The Columbus Dispatch. After that, Trump tweeted his support for Balderson instead of Stivers, the representative for Ohio’s 15th District and the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
Missy Medulla, the president of the Ohio University College Republicans, said that the tweet is not drastic but instead, a simple mistake. She said Stivers and Balderson are both good congressional candidates in Ohio.
Stivers’ Democratic opponent Rick Neal published a tweet responding to the accidental endorsement, criticizing the congressman and saying that his campaign out-fundraised Stivers' in the previous quarter.
Rapien said that is not true because a significant amount of what Neal raised came from his own finances.
He said that Stivers has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Ohio State Medical Association and the National Association of Women Business Owners.
