Pennsylvania election too close to call as Trump clout tested
WASHINGTON: A closely watched special congressional election in Pennsylvania remained nail-bitingly close early yesterday — bad news for nervous Republicans who saw President Donald Trump romp to victory there in 2016 and face mid-term elections in November.
With more than 99 per cent of precincts reporting in southwestern Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district, young Democratic candidate Conor Lamb declared victory in a speech to cheering supporters.
“It took a little longer than we thought but we did it!” he said.
There was no immediate response from his Republican rival Rick Saccone, a Trump ally, or any official announcement of results.
CNN said later that with all precincts reporting, Lamb was ahead by just 0.2 percentage points — 49.8 per cent to 49.6 per cent.
The race was so close that the results from outstanding absentee ballots would likely decide the outcome.
A Lamb victory would not endanger Republican control of the House of Representatives — the Republicans currently have 238 seats to 193 for the Democrats, with four vacant.
But it would be seen as a stark warning that districts which Trump won in 2016 could now be for grabs in November’s vote.
The election, seen by many as a referendum on Trump and the Republican Party, was taking place in a working- class district that Trump won by about 20 points, suggesting the latest developments were good news for the opposition party.
With the race in the balance, Saccone, whose campaign drew criticism from Republican strategists for its lackluster performance in recent weeks, told his followers earlier that “It’s not over yet.” — AFP