Democrat Leads In Much-Watched Pennsylvania Race [Updated]

With 427 of 593 precincts reporting, Democrat Conor Lamb leads Republican Rick Saccone in a special election in Pennsylvania’s 18 Congressional District. The district went strongly for President Trump and should be Republican, but Lamb attracted an enormous amount of money and Saccone is generally viewed as a lackluster campaigner. The election’s significance is questionable, notwithstanding the national attention it has attracted, since the current 18th will go out of existence in November as part of the current redistricting.

Still, if Lamb wins the Democrats will claim it as a major moral victory, especially since President Trump visited the district to campaign for Saccone. The problem with the Democrats’ narrative is that Lamb ran as a Republican. He vows not to vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House (a vow he almost certainly will break, I think), and he is a Marine veteran and rabidly pro-gun. In other words, the sort of candidate that Democrats normally would turn out to vote against.

UPDATE: With 514 precincts reporting, Lamb’s lead is down to fewer than 3,000 votes.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Saccone is closing strongly. With 563 of 593 precincts in, Lamb’s lead is less than 1,000 votes. A cliffhanger!

FINAL UPDATE: With all precincts reporting, but (I believe) a few absentee ballots to be counted, Lamb is up by fewer than 600 votes.

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