Weaver all know the backstory. Representative Tim Murphy had to resign his Pennsylvania 18th-district seat because he'd asked his mistress to get an abortion. The district is traditionally quite red.
So what makes this race so competitive? For one thing, the visuals. Lamb is tall and lean, crisp and personable. He looks fit, like a Marine who kept up a physical regimen after his service. Saccone has lots of loose skin, like he's been rather sedentary for a while.
He was a federal prosecutor focused on the opioid crisis, a huge issue in greater Appalachia. In fact, it's why he decided to run.
And Lamb is that unusual breed of Democrat in 2018: somewhat conservative:
After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, Lamb reiterated his stance that the best way to prevent mass shootings is to strengthen background checks and make mental-health treatment more accessible, rather than banning a particular kind of firearm. He also supports fracking, and believes that “life begins at conception,”—although on Monday, the Democrat said he doesn’t support proposals to ban abortion after 20 weeks.
Republicans in Pennsylvania have been reduced to portraying Lamb as driven by opportunism rather than principle, and it's not very convincing.
Remember, though, that the victor will only serve for seven months. How much of a harbinger this election depends on whether a trend can be borne out by developments elsewhere.
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