Trump and Trumpism Rejected
Democrat Conor Lamb has been declared the apparent winner in the special election for Pennsylvania’s conservative 18th congressional district to replace Republican Rep. Tim Murphy. Lamb beat Trump-endorsed Republican Rick Saccone, a far right wing Christian extremist, who is a state representative.
The vote was so close it had to be decided by absentee ballots. The final tallies have yet to be declared, but networks including MSNBC and CNBC have called it for Lamb.
Trump won the district barely more than a year ago by nearly 20 points. Lamb was recently projected to win, and was up about six points in the final polls.Â
The president, the Vice President, and the president’s eldest son all endorsed and campaigned in Pennsylvania for Saccone.Â
“Outside GOP groups have spent $10.7 million supporting Rick Saccone,” Axios on Tuesday reported.
Lamb is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and a former Marine.
Saccone, already down in the polls, made news late Monday night when he told supporters at a rally that Democrats hate God, America, and Donald Trump.
Lamb supports ObamaCare and a woman’s right to choose (although he personally is against abortion, but says a right is a right.) He has called for stronger background checks but no new gun control laws.
Former Rep. Tim Murphy resigned after it was revealed he had urged his mistress to get an abortion. Murphy is a “pro-life” “family values” Republican.
Last month The Washington Post reported “Republican-allied groups have dramatically outspent their Democratic rivals 17-to-1 in the first congressional race of 2018, a special election in Pennsylvania that both parties have cast as a potential bellwether for the November midterms.”
This is the second major special election in a row in which the Democrat won a seat previously held by a Republican. Many political analysts believe these results reflect how even GOP voters feel about President Trump.
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