A Republican candidate for the House of Representatives raised eyebrows after he sent out an email conceding the election – before the polls had closed.
Derek Myers, a Donald Trump devotee who was running in Ohio’s second district, sent an email lamenting his loss at 3.19pm on Tuesday. Polls were not due to close in Ohio until 7.30pm.
“Derek Myers concedes Congressional race,” read the subject line in the email.
It continued: “Tonight did not go as we had hoped, but as we know, this race is decided in the primary. I want to give my congratulations to the Congressman-Elect.”
In a video posted around the same time, Myers, who describes his politics as “America first”, said he was “looking forward to staying in the arena of Ohio politics”.
Amid a subsequent flurry, in a retraction email sent shortly after the premature concession, Myers said his campaign had prepared two emails, one to be sent if he lost and a different email for if he won.
He did lose, coming last out of 11 candidates, with just 1.5% of the vote. David Taylor won the Republican primary, and will face Samantha Meadows, a Democrat, in November’s election.
“Anyone who works in communications knows it’s not uncommon to have speeches and releases prepared in the event of each outcome, especially on such an impotent [sic] night. It’s simply good strategy,” Myers said in the retraction email.
Ohio’s second district is considered safely Republican, and Taylor is expected to be elected to the House in November.
Brad Wenstrup, a Republican, was re-elected to the second district with 74.5% of the vote in 2022, but is retiring at the end of his term.
