Democrats Win in Pennsylvania Special Election
By a paper thin margin Democratic Congressional candidate Conor Lamb defeats Republican candidate Rick Saccone in a special election in Pennsylvania for the 18th congressional district.
The win marks another victory for Democrats in areas that either traditionally red, or areas that President Trump won by wide margins. For instance in the 18th district Trump won this area by a 20 point margin. In a little over a year, the republican lost that all of that cushion and the actual congressional seat.
Part of the victory has to do with the actual candidate himself. Conor Lamb ran a rogue campaign and distanced himself from the far left of the party. While he promoted his support of unions and he did not toe the company line when it came to guns. Lamb being a Marine veteran (and possibly smart enough to know the right button to push) consistently stated his strong support of the second amendment and citizens’ rights to arms.
Democratic congressman Conor Lamb pro gun advocate at the range.
Lamb also was willing to publicly state that he did not support democratic leader Nancy Pelosi the Minor Leader of the House. The new congressman has been openly critical of Pelosi’s leadership, as some political pundits have stated it may be time for the party to part ways with the senior ranking official.
While this victory will surely invigorate the Democrats it is a small unit of measure that gives limited insight on what is to come in the 2018 midterm elections. While the party that does better in special elections during an election cycle typically does better in the next round of elections, if we learned anything in 2016, we learned that we have to throw out the old playbook.
The Democrats definitely have momentum with big wins in Virginia, Alabama, and now Pennsylvania, but if they want to take back control of the House or the Senate they must continue to be aggressive with mobilization and motivating the voting base.
Doug Jones stole a senate seat for dems in tradtionally red Alabama.
This loss marks another blow to the momentum of the Red Wave of 2016 that saw Donald Trump carry this very district by 20 points on his way to the White House. Some GOP veterans and pundits are questioning if it makes sense to distance from Donald Trump and his blustery style. Others in the GOP camp believe there is no benefit to walking away from the President and must dig in and get ready for a fight to maintain control of both houses.
Strategically the GOP must stay the course and support the President. Not backing the leadership only serves to fracture the party and allow for the Democrats to steal more seats than they already have. Running away from the President not only divides the party, but it would also put the government in virtual gridlock, paralyzing the President’s agenda and halting any progress that has been made to this point in his presidency.
Porn Star continues to be a thorn in Trump’s side.
The Democrats’ resurgence on the political battlefield after a virtual blood bath in the 2016 elections will rival “Game of Thrones” in terms of of the political maneuvering leading into the 2018 elections. And just like on HBO on Sundays at 10:00pm I will be watching the midterm elections fully engaged and fascinated.
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
