Democrat Conor Lamb Declared Victory Tonight In Pennsylvania 18: Of Course He Did

Conor Lamb Delivers Acceptance Speech; Of course he won! Democrat Conor Lamb proves once again that a young, energetic, empathetic, telegenic candidate can defeat a dour, tired, lethargic, unenthusiastic old man. JFK proved that against Nixon. The Republicans saw it coming. They recognized that Rick Saccone was a poor candidate. President Trump and millions in Republican dollars almost pulled it out for Saccone, but the chasm was too great. President Trump said Rick Saccone would be his “wingman” in Washington, but Rick Saccone was more of an albatross wrapped around the Republican neck in Pennsylvania 18, just as Judge Ray Moore in Alabama was a political trainwreck. The Republicans ran negative ads against Lamb because they had little positive to offer for Saccone. A young, telegenic positive message can overcome an old, tired negative message. Tip O’Neill said all politics is local. The implications can be national though. The Democrats have now won both a Senate seat and House seat away from the Republicans. They now have a burst of energy, salivating about a blue wave in November. Conor ran as a traditional Blue Dog Democrat, a politically endangered species in today’s America. He ran away from gun control. He ran away from Nancy Pelosi, far away. He ran away from celebrities. He ran away from his anti-Semitic student days. He ran as an ex-Marine. He was not running with the baggage of the 2016 Clinton campaign. He promised to work with anyone. He attacked the Trump tax cuts as a gift to rich corporations He has yet to be infected with Potomac Fever. He leads by 571 votes with 3,200 absentee votes left to be counted. The absentees probably will not change the outcome. All politics are local. Conor Lamb won with the union vote, 1/5 of the voters in the District. The coal miners and steel workers voted for Donald Trump 14 months ago, but Rick Saccone is rigidly anti-union. He supports Right to Work, anathema to labor. Two questions remain: How did Rick Saccone ever get the Republican nomination? Why didn't Conor Lamb win by more votes?