March 13th is the first special election in U.S. politics in 2018 — and it’s happening right here in western Pennsylvania.  PA’s 18th Congressional District seat was vacated when the former Republican Congressman Tim Murphy resigned after allegations arose that he had asked his mistress to get an abortion, contrary to the pro-life agenda that was central to his platform.  

Battling neck and neck for the seat are Conor Lamb, a moderate Democrat, former Marine, and federal prosecutor and Rick Saccone, a traditional conservative Republican Air Force veteran and serving member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  

The 18th district is located in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh.  Although it contains roughly 70,000 more Democrats than Republicans, the district voted for Trump by a large margin.  Steel, coal, and labor unions are key to both Lamb’s and Saccone’s campaigns, and the future of Social Security and Medicare looms large in this special election.  

Both candidates are garnering national attention– in the past few days, both Trump and Joe Biden visited southwestern PA to stump for their respective candidates.  I attended the Lamb rally at the Carpenters Union Building and have been door-knocking with fellow Uproar writer Stefan Bordeianu on behalf of the Democrat.  Our main objective has been to rally Lamb’s supporters with his moderate policies and strong, but modest presence and leadership.  

His campaign headquarters in Carnegie is a happening place, where both old and young have come together to phone bank, door-fknock, and plan overall strategy.  Stefan and I spent two Saturdays door-knocking in Mt. Lebanon, where a Conor Lamb supporter’s dog relieved its bladder on my foot and a Saccone supporter vehemently swore at Stefan.  

On Saturday, Lamb’s headquarters were jam-packed with enthusiastic supporters–around 300.  There were reporters from news outlets across the country and world, including Japan.  There were vans filled with supporters from Arlington, Virginia, and a congressmen from Massachusetts, Seth Moulton, also stopped to door-knock.

Lamb himself has gone out dressed in his original Marine Corps boots to connect with the voters of the 18th district.

The energy in this special election is something to behold.  Lamb’s young, energetic charisma and moderate, pro-union policies might challenge Saccone in a district that many thought was a sure bet for the Republican candidate.

“Our campaign is about attacking the problems, not attacking each other,” Lamb explained to me.  “We all know that there are serious problems to be solved, but we remain the greatest country in the world and we got that way by working together.  It’s time to get the dark money out of politics and get to work.”

Lamb’s strong potential clearly has the Republican party on watch, as Saccone has benefitted from over $10 million in total contributions thus far.  It would be a huge upset to the Republican party if they cannot keep this seat in their control and an amazing victory for the Democratic Party, perhaps foreshadowing a Democratic-held House in the 2018 midterms.  

Can Saccone hold on to the traditionally conservative 18th district?  Or will the Lamb fervor sweep the seat away? We’ll find out March 13.

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