Posted on 03/14/2018 7:49:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Republicans are panicked after Democrat Conor Lamb closed in on a victory over Republican Rick Saccone in a Pennsylvania congressional district that went for President Donald Trump by 20 points in 2016.
That Lamb could perform so well in a district that overwhelmingly supported Trump and had sent a Republican to Congress without much contention for the better part of two decades signaled major challenges for the party as it seeks to maintain its congressional majorities in this year's midterm elections.
"It's really hard to see how anyone looks at the factors Republicans are facing at this time, and the environment Republicans are in, and conclude anything other than that we are heading for a very difficult cycle," a Republican strategist close to the race told Business Insider.
"The narrow margin in a district the president won handily should be a serious wake up call for Republican incumbents across the map," the person added late Tuesday night. "No suburban district is safe and every candidate better be ready for the most difficult cycle of their career."
There are roughly 120 House seats currently controlled by Republicans in districts that are not as solidly Republican as Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District.
Lamb's results came on the heels of Democratic Sen. Doug Jones' shocking win in Alabama and big wins for the party in New Jersey and Virginia late last year. As of 12:30 a.m. on the East Coast, Lamb led Saccone by a slim margin of just more than 500 votes with only some absentee ballots outstanding. Lamb declared victory, and Democratic campaign groups followed suit.
Needing a huge boost from those ballots to leapfrog Lamb, Saccone told supporters he was going to "fight" until the very end. But many Democrats already proclaimed Lamb the victor.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Libertarians counted over 1300 votes”
Sorry but Libertarians are self righteous morons. They NEVER win and have handed numerous important elections to the Rats.
They [Rep] need to get back on the bandwagon on this or we will lose it all this midterm.
I see so many Conservatives express eh? no problem. It’s never a problem until it’s a problem.
It didn't garner a single complaint. The GOP voters understood what I was doing, the DEM voters thought I was just being kind.
Reps need some fresh faces with young blood.
That’s what I’ve been saying for a long time. Young blood, dedicated to Conservative causes, not afraid to stand against political correctness and stand on principle......period!!!
The best way to get rid of Lamb in November is to force him to take a series of tough votes on gun control, abortion, etc. Reveal to the voters just how much of a Conservative he’s not. If we had an actual Speaker and not Paul Ryan this would get done.
They didn’t in this one either. Looks like the GOP outspent the Dems, although final numbers can take months.
If you mean Saccone’s OWN campaign was outspent by Lamb’s OWN, that was 4 to 1, apparently because GOP donors didn’t trust Saccone’s campaign with their money.
That might be repeated across the country, and it may or may not matter.
You’re absolutely right. In my opinion, the Dems did their usual...dressed up a pretty boy and gave him his points. In other words....Lamb is a 3 dollar bill.
He only won in Alleghany county.....which was half the votes. It’s the old numbers game.
That 100% figure was for election-day voting (and Lamb’s lead was already by a few hundred votes, not 49). Allegheny County then was the first to count and report all of its absentee ballots. That’s why Lamb’s lead got bigger. The Republican counties were the last to count and report absentee ballots.
The percentage of absentee votes for Lamb in Alleghany County didn’t jive with the normal votes....way too high.
The district is really more Populist than “red”.
It leans right on social issues (gun rights, abortion, definition of marriage, etc.). But due to decades of union influence it tends to lean left on economics. Traditional Chicago School/Steve Forbes Supply Side Economics is NOT a political winner here. People want someone putting their thumb on the scale on their behalf.
The GOPe candidate was a squish who—even by friendly accounts—had horrible messaging, and who made no effort to enthusiastically support the President. People hate lukewarm water, and that's what Saccone emanated. Even so, he came very close.
Every GOP candidate who acts like a timid squish is going to lose bigly in November, and rightly so. It's a wonder that the GOP candidate ever wins any election, as timid and cowardly as they campaign. The only way you win is by fiercely fighting for your principles—and having the right principles in the first place.
Any GOP candidate who goes all in for #MAGA and President Trump is going to do OK, and, as Texas demonstrated, in red states, #MAGA is going to do fine.
If the GOP had fielded a staunch pro-Trump candidate who fully embraced the President, they would have a much stronger showing. And, as I mentioned, Saccone's messaging was absolutely deplorable by all accounts—and not in a good way.
Sometimes a lousy candidate loses, plain and simple. If shallow thinkers want to project their trepidation onto other races which don't fit that mold, then let
On another note: what were the reports regarding turnout in this PA race? Was it heavy? Light? How did those numbers shake out?
“It’s really hard to see how anyone looks at the factors Republicans are facing at this time, and the environment Republicans are in, and conclude anything other than that we are heading for a very difficult cycle,” a Republican strategist close to the race told Business Insider.
“The narrow margin in a district the president won handily should be a serious wake up call for Republican incumbents across the map,” the person added late Tuesday night. “No suburban district is safe and every candidate better be ready for the most difficult cycle of their career.”
Why is there NO name attached to this????
“A Republican Strategist”
“the person”
Why can’t this source be named?
RE: Rather simple to me: the People support Trump, but not wishy-washy Republicans with no message, no charisma, and do not openly support the agenda they want enacted.
THAT is a strange way of supporting Trump. Trump campaigned in this district. It is a bizarre way of showing your support for Trump by VOTING IN someone who is SURE to OPPOSE him.
Most voters just don't look at things like that.
RE: Not sure why this would happen when they kept their promise to repeal commie care.
Maybe this district is not that “Red” as Business Insider would have it, after all.
Maybe they DO like government to take care of their healthcare....
Cleaned up? 600 or so votes? Plus the GOP could not have found a weaker candidate.
Both can be attributed to bad candidates.
It is far more difficult to defeat a seated Congressman.
Democrat Conor Lamb is pretending to be a republican.
RE: We have lost one Congressional race and one Senate race.
Make that SIX CONGRESSIONAL RACES LOST — ALL HELD BY REPUBLICANS BEFORE. This does not look good for Trump’s agenda for 2018 and beyond.
See here:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/13/politics/special-elections-oklahoma-new-hampshire/index.html
Democrats have won 6 GOP-help congressional races. The GOP has NOT even won one Democratic seat.
If the excuse is the GOP ran lousy candidates, then every single race can be attributed to lousy candidates.
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