The Latest: Voting underway in bellwether Ohio contest

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on a tight congressional race in Ohio that could provide clues about the Democrats' chances of retaking the House in November (all times local):

2 p.m.

Candidates in a tight congressional race are making final rounds in the sprawling central Ohio district.

The seat is open following the retirement of former GOP U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (TEE'-behr-ee) after nearly 18 years in office.

Among stops for Democrat Danny O'Connor, the Franklin County recorder, was speaking to volunteers and supporters at his campaign headquarters Tuesday morning in Columbus.

Republican Troy Balderson, a two-term state senator, included a visit to Genoa Baptist Church in Westerville in suburban Columbus Tuesday afternoon.

Jerry Cupp, a 61-year-old retiree in Westerville, voted for Balderson, but said he didn't see much difference between the candidates. He wants Congress to tackle health care.

Nick Losacco, a 79-year-old Columbus car salesman, voted for O'Connor, saying he wanted Democrats to have more control in Congress.

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11 a.m.

Voting is underway in an Ohio special election that may provide clues to whether Democrats will retake the U.S. House in November.

Democrat Danny O'Connor, the Franklin County recorder, is running for an open congressional seat in central Ohio against Republican Troy Balderson, a two-term state senator. The seat opened up when ex-U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (TEE'-behr-ee) retired after almost 18 years.

Trevor Moffitt is a public health doctoral student at Ohio State University who voted for O'Connor Tuesday.

The 29-year-old resident of suburban Westerville said he liked O'Connor's willingness to work with Republicans.

Mike Flynn, a hospital unit coordinator from suburban New Albany, voted for Balderson as a show of support for Tiberi. Flynn said he didn't care for the mudslinging on either side of the campaign.

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12:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump's preferred congressional candidate — and his signature tax cuts — are about to be tested in battleground Ohio in the season's final high-stakes special election.

The midsummer affair comes as Trump's shadow looms over primary contests in four other states. None is bigger than Kansas, where the Republican president roiled the governor's race by opposing the sitting Republican governor on the eve of the election.

Tuesday's elections, like dozens before them, pit the strength of the Republican president's fiery coalition against the Democratic Party's anti-Trump resistance. The results will help determine the political landscape — and Trump's standing within his own party — just three months before November's midterm elections.

Voters in Ohio and Kansas join those across Missouri, Michigan and Washington state at the ballot box.