President Trump on Wednesday touted Republican victories in a pair of special elections held Tuesday night, when GOP congressional candidates won contests held to fill seats vacated by two members of his Cabinet.
“I watched the faces of the newscasters,” Trump said as he toured a community college in Iowa. “We won by a lot.”
Republican candidate Karen Handel won a highly competitive race in Georgia on Tuesday by 4 points, and Republican candidate Ralph Norman won a low-key contest in South Carolina the same day by 3 points. Both districts were traditionally represented by Republicans.
“We’re 5 and 0 in special elections,” Trump said Wednesday. Republicans have actually won just four special elections for House seats: in Kansas, to fill the seat left open by CIA Director Mike Pompeo; in Montana, to fill the seat left open by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke; in Georgia, to fill the seat left open by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price; and in South Carolina, to fill the seat left open by Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. The number five may have included Republicans forcing the Georgia runoff back in April.
Trump congratulated Handel and Norman on their respective victories late Tuesday night via Twitter.
