Trump-Backed Republican Mike Carey Wins House Seat in Ohio

Republican Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist endorsed by Donald Trump, defeated Democrat Allison Russo in a special election for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District on Tuesday night.

The U.S. House seat was held for a decade by Republican Steve Stivers, who resigned after voting earlier in the year to impeach Trump over the incident on January 6 at the Capitol.

“The results of Tuesday’s elections will leave Democrats with a 221-213 advantage over Republicans in Congress, with Brown and Carey each retaining a seat for their respective party. A third open congressional seat in Florida, where primaries were being held Tuesday, also is very likely to remain status quo and in Democratic hands,” PBS reported.

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“I wanted to be somebody that could go and make a difference in Washington,” he told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Lancaster. “Believe me, we have too many career politicians in Washington. That’s the last thing that I will ever be.”

Carey released a statement following his win.

“Tonight the people of Ohio’s Fifteenth Congressional District have placed their trust in me and I could not me more humbled to represent them. Republican, Democrat, or Independent, I promise to fight for every person in this district because the problems facing our nation are beyond partisanship and have real consequences for working families,” he said.

NEW: Republican Mike Carey wins special election for House seat in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, @NBCNews Decision Desk projects. https://t.co/ZRTUOl164x pic.twitter.com/djxLS4HlUE

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 3, 2021

Projection:
Republican Mike Carey is the Projected Winner in the #OH15 special election. He will defeat Democrat Allison Russo.

GOP Hold#Election2021 #ElectionDay #NJGov #VAGov pic.twitter.com/Ic5siA0HoR

— The Election Center (@ElectionCenter_) November 2, 2021

Carey said he spoke with Trump Tuesday night, adding that the former president was “very happy with the votes.”

“Congratulations to Mike Carey on a fantastic victory in Ohio,” Trump said in an emailed statement. “I am very proud to have endorsed him early and strongly. He will be a great congressman!”

Joe Biden endorsed Russo, who raised more money in the district than any Democrat in history.

“There’s a real need for these investments in communities, for critical infrastructure, making sure that we’re addressing the health care needs of people throughout the district, and opportunity,” Russo said before polls closed. “At the end of the day, this is really why I ran for Congress is because people just want access to opportunity.”

The other highly anticipated election on Tuesday night was the gubernatorial election in Virginia between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

Youngkin — a Republican endorsed by Donald Trump — has been declared the winner.

I’ve seen enough: Glenn Youngkin (R) defeats Terry McAuliffe (D) in the Virginia governor’s race. #VAGOV

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 3, 2021

Newsmax, Decision Desk HQ project Republican Glenn Youngkin will win the Virginia gubernatorial race. https://t.co/MnIsL8Z0qK

— Newsmax (@newsmax) November 3, 2021

8:16 PROJECTION: GLENN YOUNGKIN HAS DEFEATED TERRY MCAULIFFE AND HAS BEEN ELECTED GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA.

* GOP PICKUP *

— Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) November 3, 2021

HUGE VICTORY IN VIRGINIA!

A few months ago, no one thought it was possible, but Virginians have sent a message across America.

Congratulations to @GlennYoungkin, @WinsomeSears, and @JasonMiyaresVA!

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) November 3, 2021

Polling was leaning towards Youngkin all week.

Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of the state, is behind significantly in a brand new Fox News poll.

No Republican has won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009 and Joe Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election.

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Despite Biden campaigning for McAuliffe, Republican candidate Youngkin burst ahead in a recent poll just days before the election.

Youngkin was polling at 53 percent among likely voters, to McAuliffe’s measly 45 percent.

Democratic pollster Chris Anderson had been sounding the alarm prior to the election on Tuesday night.

“With the race essentially tied among the full registered voter universe, McAuliffe could still pull this off,” says Anderson, who conducts the Fox News survey along with Republican Daron Shaw. “But it would take something big to ignite enthusiasm for McAuliffe’s candidacy and a massively effective get out the vote effort.”