It’s not much to brag on, but Ohio Republican congressional candidate Troy Balderson eked out a ‘slim pickens’ victory in Tuesday’s special election, but it’s not over ‘til it’s over. Election officials report Balderson received 50.2-percent of the vote while challenger Danny O’Conner (D) recorded 49.3-percent for a point spread of 1,754 votes favoring Balderson.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office , local election boards will begin counting 3,435 ‘provisional ballots’ and 5,048 outstanding ‘absentee ballots’ on Aug. 18 and must finish by Aug. 24. In the end — if the margin drops to 0.5-percent or less — a recount of all the votes will be performed. Lord only knows why the statewide election boards wait eleven days to begin these counts while both candidates twist in the wind. Seems like a good opportunity for some ballot stuffing.

O’Conner is praying for a recount or an outright win while Balderson is claiming victory and thanking President Donald Trump for his endorsement and for holding a Trump Rally last Saturday in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District. But this could go either way.

For political junkies tight races like this one are relished. We get to witness the real-life Constitutional election process that sometimes is a long-drawn-out procedure. A strong win and it’s over, but this Balderson/O’Conner race is a true nail biter.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, DC all the noise is centered on will President Trump sit for an under-oath interview with FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Behind the scenes Trump’s legal team, headed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, appears to be negotiating terms for a possible interview, but don’t hold your breath. Lawyer after lawyer – including Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz — on TV news shows are recommending to President Trump not to sit for an interview subjecting him to a “perjury trap.” “Under no circumstances” should Trump be interviewed by Mueller, Dershowitz said.

If President Trump decides not to meet with Mueller and then Mueller issues a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury that would set the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether or not a sitting president can be forced to appear or indicted while still in office. This process would not be over until long after the mid-term elections now only 13-weeks down the road.

“But they are trying to get something on perjury and that’s not going to happen. The answers, with regard to Flynn and the firing of Comey are already well known and they’re not going to change. He’d say the same thing in the interview as he’s said publicly,” says Giuliani. Mueller “doesn’t need us. He’s got our explanation.”

Soon after President Trump took office he fired then FBI Director James Comey, who served at the pleasure of the president who had every Constitutional right to dismiss Comey, who then went on to sign a million-dollar book deal. Michael Flynn was a member of Trump’s campaign 2018 staff and he served briefly as the president’s national security adviser until he was fired for being untruthful with Vice President Mike Pence and he was indicted by Mueller for lying to the FBI. Flynn later pleads guilty to avoid trial.

However, the political play of the week goes to John James who scored an upset victory in Michigan’s Republican U.S. senate primary who will go up against three-term Democrat U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow on Nov. 6.

James, 37, is a Michigan businessman, an Iraq military veteran and he’s African-American. He won the primary with an impressive 10-percentage-point win. If James beats Stabenow he would be the second black Republican in the U.S. Senate along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Before the primary President Trump endorsed James and he was quick to respond to James’ win on Twitter.

“Congratulations to a future STAR of the Republican Party, future Senator John James,” Trump tweeted shortly before midnight. “A big and bold victory tonight in the great state of Michigan – the first of many. November can’t come fast enough.”

James is an impressive candidate in a rust-belt state now experiencing the positive results of the Trump administration’s economic policies and tax cuts. Stabenow is seeking her fourth term in the senate and its time she is put her out to pasture and pass the torch to someone who will work the president and not against him.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.