"We need to make sure every vote is counted because when people exercise their right to vote that needs to be respected," Danny O'Connor said. | AP O'Connor coy on whether he'll consider asking for recount in Ohio race

Democrat Danny O'Connor won't say whether he'll consider asking for a recount in Tuesday night's still-too-close-to-call special election in Ohio.

Votes are still being counted in Ohio's 12th district, and as of Wednesday morning O'Connor trailed his Republican opponent Troy Balderson by a razor-thin margin of less than a percentage point, or about 1,800 votes. The race has grabbed national attention because the 31-year-old Democrat is on the heels of his GOP competitor in a longtime red district. President Donald Trump handily won the district in 2016.


O'Connor was coy about whether he'll ask for a recount, and said he was focused on the fact that he will go head-to-head against Balderson again during the November midterm election.

"The only thing I know for sure is that I'm gonna be campaigning every single day until November," O'Connor said. "The mechanics of the recount and all that stuff, with this race being too close to call, we need to make sure every vote is counted because when people exercise their right to vote that needs to be respected."

If the margin drops below half a percentage point after the final votes are tallied, it would trigger an automatic recount.

Days before Tuesday's election, the GOP election machine launched a high-profile, last-minute push for Balderson. The president flew to Ohio for a rally, and his son, Donald Trump Jr., recorded a robocall for Balderson.

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O'Connor said on Wednesday morning that he did not think the eleventh-hour effort made a difference for his opponent. And as for the nickname Trump gave him, the Democrat says he is taking the jab in stride.

"'Danny Boy,' I think that was the first song I ever knew. It's a traditional Irish song," O'Connor said. "I think Danny Boy is actually a compliment."