PA race tighter-than-tight; Dem claims win, GOP hangs in
Lamb claimed victory before exuberant supporters early Wednesday as the number of votes still to be counted dwindled in a contest that has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm elections in November when the
The Marine veteran told his crowd that voters had directed him to "do your job" in
Lamb told
Regardless of the outcome — and a recount was possible — Lamb's showing in a district Trump won by 20 points in the presidential race was sure to stoke anxiety among
Wednesday morning, Lamb's lead stood at 641 votes — out of more than 224,000 votes cast, according to unofficial results. Election officials said there are about 200 absentee votes and an unknown number of provisional ballots still to be counted.
The four counties in the western
In a race this close, either candidate's supporters can ask for a recount. However there are stiff requirements, including requiring three voters in the same precinct who can attest that error or fraud was committed.
The stakes in the high-profile special election were more political than practical.
The ultimate winner will face re-election in just eight months, and the congressional district as currently shaped will likely vanish next year thanks to a court-ordered redrawing of the state's district maps. Yet
The
Lamb, a 33-year old former federal prosecutor, asserted his independence from the Democratic Party, courted labor backing and focused on local issues. He studiously downplayed his opposition to the Republican president in the district where Trump's support has slipped by not plummeted.
"This didn't have much to do with
Trump campaigned for Saccone last weekend, urging voters not to "be conned by this guy Lamb."
Asked about Trump's approach, Lamb told CNN: "There was a lot of foolishness in this election and a lot of really cartoonish campaigning, and I think by the time of the president's visit...there was just a little bit of burnout on that type of campaigning."
But Lamb says there are still "plenty of people here who are still pretty supportive" of Trump.
The vice president, the president's eldest son, the president's daughter and the president's chief counselor also campaigned for Saccone. Outside groups aligned with
For
Lamb's excited supporters included his middle school football and basketball coach,
The former coach described the district as having "a lot of suit-and-tie people and people who dig in the dirt." Lamb, he said, "can talk to all of them, and that's why he can win."
Registered Republican
"Saccone backs a lot of
It was open now only because longtime Republican congressman
With polls showing a tight race for months, Saccone tried to persuade the
Saccone, a 60-year-old
Yet Saccone struggled to raise money and stir the same passions that helped Trump on his way to the
Lamb, meanwhile, excited core
National Republican groups filled airwaves and social media with depictions of the first-time candidate as little more than a lemming for
Lamb answered the criticism by saying he wouldn't support Pelosi as floor leader, much less as speaker if the
Besides bruising the president, a Saccone defeat also could shake Republican self-assurance that their new tax law can shield them from other political woes.
Lamb embraced Democratic orthodoxy on the new
The
Peoples reported from
Follow Barrow and Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarowAP and https://twitter.com/timelywriter .
This story has been corrected to show reference is to Saccone, not Lamb, at bottom of story
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