On Saturday, President Donald Trump's newsletter highlighted his visit to the Keystone State this week, yet it did not make a mention of GOP candidate Rick Saccone's loss to Democratic hopeful Conor Lamb during a special election in the deeply conservative 18th Congressional District.
The newsletter indicated Trump's visit to Pittsburgh on March 10 for a "campaign rally with thousands of his supporters," where he addressed what he called "recent successes," such as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the booming economy, an upcoming meeting with North Korea to end their nuclear program, and the tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect American jobs." The newsletter later added that Pennsylvania—"including steel and coal country"—helped elect Trump in 2016, underscoring that the president "continues to deliver for them."
Nevertheless, the newsletter failed to mention that Trump also made a final push for Saccone three days before the special election. "I need people who can help me," Trump told the crowd at an aircraft hangar. "And this guy can really help me: Rick Saccone. And he's got a tough race."
He later attacked the Democratic candidate after calling him "Lamb the Sham." The president said Lamb "is trying to act like a Republican," and added that "the people of Pittsburgh cannot be conned by this guy Lamb, because he's not going to vote for us."
Despite the president's endorsement, it was not enough for Saccone to pull out a win in the special election. Both the Republican and Democratic candidates were running neck and neck for much of Tuesday evening, and there was no clear winner until Wednesday morning, when Lamb led the razor-thin race by 641 votes—or 0.28 percentage points. In response to Lamb's upset victory, Trump and other conservatives claimed that the Democrat won because of his "good looks."
Lamb's win also fuels concern for the GOP's midterm elections. "In other words, the result in Pennsylvania 18th district [which massively voted for Trump in 2016] is just the latest indication that Republicans are in trouble," said FiveThirtyEight's Nathaniel Rakich. "Does the Pennsylvania 18 result tell us anything else about the national political environment? That gets a little tricky, and I'd be cautious."
Lamb joins a streak of election victories for the minority party. In December, Trump-backed GOP candidate Roy Moore lost to Democratic hopeful Doug Jones during a special election in Alabama, while Democrat Ralph Northman trounced Republican Ed Gillespie during his gubernatorial bid in Virginia by nine percentage points.
"Those busted endorsements suggest that for all his mystical connection with his base, Trump is not necessarily an asset for GOP candidates in special elections," CNN reported. "They may also be a sign that the president will be more of a liability than an asset for Republicans come midterm elections in November."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Robert Valencia is deputy world editor for Newsweek. Robert has covered issues related to drug policy, human rights, U.S. presidential ... Read more
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