[Fasces]

The Democrat and Republican in a special House election in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Trump country were divided by a few hundred votes in a race that was too close to call early Wednesday — an ominous sign for Republicans in a district that Donald J. Trump won by nearly 20 percentage points. Read more here.

In 2016, Mr. Trump won the district by double digits, but the race between Conor Lamb, a moderate Democrat, and Rick Saccone, a Republican, had become unexpectedly competitive.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... ction.html

The Democrat and Republican in a special House election in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Trump country were divided by a few hundred votes in a race that was too close to call early Wednesday — an ominous sign for Republicans in a district that Donald J. Trump won by nearly 20 percentage points.

With 100 percent of votes counted, Conor Lamb, a Democrat, was clinging to a 641-vote lead over Rick Saccone, a Republican. But one county in the four-county district had not yet counted its absentee ballots, so no winner had been declared as of Wednesday morning. And it was possible that, if Mr. Saccone challenged the results, a legal battle could ensue.

Taking the stage to applause at 12:45 a.m., Mr. Lamb was introduced as “Congressman-elect” and exulted, “It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it!”

[...]

The president appeared twice with Mr. Saccone, most recently at an airport rally on Saturday night in which Mr. Trump mocked Mr. Lamb as “Lamb the sham” and pleaded for voters to support Mr. Saccone. But Mr. Trump also delivered a rambling, 75-minute speech that careened away from the matter at hand.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/us/p ... ction.html

[jimjam]

Republicans are having to figure out what to say other than, "Tax cuts!" and "Nancy Pelosi!" and "Obama!".
And, Oh, Hillary had intercourse with a bull dog.
They have been pushing only the negative for the past decade. They have brought us unbalanced tax cuts, rising debt, deregulation, disarray in healthcare, and stalemate on immigration, infrastructure, opioid addiction and nearly anything else you can name.

[Suntzu]

I guess it proves that enough money can buy elections. Isn't this guy pro-gun, pro-life? Sounds more like a Republican.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

I guess it proves that enough money can buy elections. Isn't this guy pro-gun, pro-life? Sounds more like a Republican.

Guess again:

GOP and conservative groups account for the bulk of the more than $13.3 million spent by outside organizations on the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th District, according to Federal Election Commission filings and spending disclosures.

Nearly $10.7 million -- about 80% of the outside spending in the district -- has gone to boost Republican candidate Rick Saccone or oppose Democrat Conor Lamb. Conversely, Lamb has benefited from about $2.6 million worth of independent expenditures.
Despite the spending help, Saccone has been locked in a tight contest with Lamb, and actually trailed the Democrat in a Monmouth University poll released the day before the election -- 51% to 45%.
In terms of campaign spending, Lamb's campaign significantly outraised and outspent Saccone's in the race. According to their pre-special election FEC filings, Lamb had raised $3.9 million and spent nearly $3.1 million, while Saccone raised just over $600,000 and spent around $615,000.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/13/poli ... index.html

Lamb devoted a significant portion of his victory speech to thanking union members, a group that had been seen as key to Lamb's campaign.

"Side by side with us at each step of the way were the men and women in organized labor," he said.

"Organized labor built Western Pennsylvania. ... Tonight, they have reasserted their right to have a major part in our future."

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/37 ... tion-upset

Yeah, that could be a Republican - in the 1950s. Back when they had a sane leader.

[SpecialOlympian]

Lol @ the GOP collectively shitting its pants in fear.

As an omen for the GOP's chances in the upcoming off-year election, this is up there with "a murder of crows millions strong blocks out the sun and blood begins raining from the sky."

[Suntzu]

Lol @ the GOP collectively shitting its pants in fear.

As an omen for the GOP's chances in the upcoming off-year election, this is up there with "a murder of crows millions strong blocks out the sun and blood begins raining from the sky."

Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out the out party will pick up seats in congress during mid-terms.

[SpecialOlympian]

Yeah, no shit. A swing in a district that previously went 20 points to the GOP is pretty bad though.

[Atlantis]

So, Trump's gamble with a trade war for steel didn't win the Republicans the election, not even in a district with steel works.

Go home Donald, you are a born loser, you can't win trade wars, you can't even win elections.

[Igor Antunov]

Didn't realize Trump was no longer President.

[blackjack21]

Republicans are having to figure out what to say other than, "Tax cuts!" and "Nancy Pelosi!" and "Obama!".

It's a great thing. The guy was basically running on Trumpism, and the milquetoast Republican lost--by a hair, but he lost. That's a good thing. The establishment loses another one. It's a good thing. The Democrat establishment hates the new guy too. All in all, it's a good thing.

And, Oh, Hillary had intercourse with a bull dog.

And I always thought Huma Abedin was a Muslim.

They have brought us unbalanced tax cuts, rising debt, deregulation, disarray in healthcare, and stalemate on immigration, infrastructure, opioid addiction and nearly anything else you can name.

I about spit up my drink on "rising debt." Trump has only been president for a year. You weren't complaining about rising debt during the Obama years. Obama brought the US under more debt than any US president in modern history. Obama is second only to Franklin Roosevelt in sacking this country with debt. Disarray in healthcare? What has Trump done on health care? The only thing he has done is get rid of the ObamaCare mandate. That's it. The disarray was caused by ObamaCare itself, and it is still with us. Trump didn't bring a stalemate on immigration. It's been here for a long time. The elite want it, and they American people don't. You are on the side of the elite on this one, it seems. I've always suspected you for being pro-elitist as long as they are Democrats.

Yeah, that could be a Republican - in the 1950s. Back when they had a sane leader.

^^^ He means Eisenhower, who deported illegal aliens under what they called "Operation Wetback," and put nuclear warheads on Nike missiles as an anti-aircraft measure--literally to blow up nukes in the sky in order to down incoming Soviet bombers. Eisenhower also deposed Mohammed Mossadeq in Iran, which the left never ceases to complain about. Eisenhower was right to do that too. Eisenhower also backed a coup in Guatamala, sided against the French and British in the Suez crisis, and had a secretary of state and vice president who wanted to use nuclear weapons against Ho Chi Minh.

I never knew Prosthetic Conscience was such an ardent anti-communist and fan of nuclear weapons. Who knew?

[Torus34]

A few factoids about this election:

The Republicans put up several times the amount of money bet by the Democrats.

There are roughly 90 US districts in which President Donald Trump won by a margin equal to or less than that of this district.

The Supreme Court of the United States of America has signaled that it is not going to look the other way when political parties go full monty in congressional redistricting [Gerrymandering.]

The Democrats still remember the Republican House of Representative folks marching in lockstep as they carried a bill of impeachment from the House to the Senate.

The lights are burning late these nights at the Republican Party Headquarters.

[Hong Wu]

So Connor Lamb is a Blue Dog. He supports gun rights, no single payer health care etc.

Do the Dems actually want to do this again on a large scale? That's the question on many educated people's minds.

A "Blue Dog" might vote against a Republican President. They might not vote for a Democratic one either. There's no reason to believe that will have changed.

[SpecialOlympian]

"It's in the Democrats best interest to not run and win and instead cede districts to the Republicans."

-Hong Wu, political genius

The whole "But Lamb is actually a Republican!" is the last desperate spin from the GOP and its supporters. Here's how the GOP's campaign went:

-We passed the tax cut bill (this didn't work)
-MS-13 gangs! (this didn't work)
-Lamb isn't actually as liberal as you think (this didn't work)
-Lamb is actually one of us, suckers! (obviously this did not work as it was post-election)

The fact that they had dumped millions into the race and had to resort to attacking Lamb from the left in an extremely conservative district is fucking lol.