Donald Trump-backed Mike Carey wins special elections in Ohio

In the primary elections for the open seats in the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Carey defeated a bunch of her party leaders in Central Ohio. In Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown scored a victory for the Democrats.

Carey is a coal lobbyist who is backed by former president Donald Trump. His win re-established Trump’s status as the kingmaker in the Grand Old Party (GOP). Last week, a Trump-backed candidate had lost the special elections in Texas.

The special elections were meant to give a picture of what the voters think. But in both the races, there was a low voter turnout and a high number of candidates. This means that it would be hard to interpret the results.

After his win from Ohio’s 15th district, Carey said that the voters had sent a clear signal that Trump was the leader of the Republican party.

“Tonight, Republicans across Ohio’s 15th Congressional District sent a clear message to the nation that President Donald J. Trump is, without a doubt, the leader of our party,” Carey said in a statement.

Trump himself put out a statement thanking the voters in Ohio. “Great Republican win for Mike Carey. Big numbers,” Trump said.

Shontel Brown’s win in Cleveland over Nina Turner was a setback for the liberal wing in the Democratic Party that has been challenging the old guard.

Turner was a major supporter of Bernie Sanders‘ presidential campaign last year. She was also one of the most visible Democrat running in the primaries. She also had backing from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a lawmaker representing the 14th district of New York. 

The 53-year-old former Representative said in a statement on Wednesday, “I am going to work hard to ensure that something like this never happens to a progressive candidate again. We did not lose this race, the evil money manipulated and maligned this election”, according to reports from Politico.