Who would have ever thought a special election to fill a congressional seat in a corner of Pennsylvania would rock the political world? It’s not official yet but it appears Conor Lamb, a Democrat, has defeated Rick Saccone, a Republican in a district that Donald Trump carried by 20 points.
WATCH: @ConorLambPA the apparent winner in last night's special election in Pennsylvania, says he won because he "didn't take a single vote for granted." pic.twitter.com/qYOSEFk3Tq
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 14, 2018
That’s huge, but not last night’s biggest takeaway. Sure, it’s an embarrassment for Donald Trump, who campaigned in Pennsylvania twice for the Republican, but more importantly, it shows the GOP doesn’t have a winning message, even in a district that should have been a cakewalk. From the Washington Post Daily 202:
- “Republicans tried to run on the tax cuts, which they’ve promised for months will be the centerpiece of their 2018 messaging. Commercials highlighted Lamb’s opposition to reform and relief for the middle class. When these spots didn’t move the needle, GOP groups stopped talking about them.”
They also tried trade tariffs, sanctuary cities, even the old GOP standby Nancy Pelosi! Nothing worked. Perhaps Saconne was just a terrible candidate, or more likely, maybe the party standard-bearer is wildly unpopular, or both.
Republicans threw the kitchen sink into this race, including more than $10 million, more than 5 times what the Democrats spent on Conor Lamb.
Whatever the outcome tonight, #PA18 is an extremely bad omen for the @GOP.
Make no mistake: It is a leaning Republican district that is leaning no more.
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) March 14, 2018
The bottom line? From The Daily 202: “If Democrats can win in a district where they didn’t even bother to field a candidate the past two election cycles, they can triumph anywhere.”