Trump’s hopes take a hit after Democrats win in Pennsylvania

Despite the close race, experts have said the result means the president risks losing his House majority

DONALD TRUMP’S hopes of keeping control of Congress took a blow yesterday as a Democrat claimed victory in a district the president won by 20 points in 2016.

Conor Lamb was just ahead of Rick Saccone, his Republican rival, in the Pennsylvania 18th district election, with almost every vote counted.

The result was yet to be formally announced yesterday, with Mr Lamb just 641 votes ahead with only a handful of postal ballots still to be logged.

But the closeness of the race in heartland Trump country has left Democrats jubilant and Republicans soul-searching ahead of the mid-term elections later this year.

The congressional seat was considered so solidly Republican in the past that the Democrats did not even offer a candidate in 2012 and 2014.

Mr Trump personally campaigned twice with Mr Saccone, including a tub-thumping rally on Saturday, and sent family members and key allies into the state.

Republicans also reportedly pumped more than $10million (£7million) into keeping a seat that overwhelmingly backed Mr Trump at the presidential election.

Experts credited a “blue wave” of Democratic support for the result and said that Mr Trump risks losing his House of Representatives majority in November.

The special election was triggered after a pro-life Republican resigned after urging an aide he was having an affair with to seek an abortion.

It could take weeks before the result is announced with the Republicans consulting lawyers, but a recount is unlikely to be successful, given that many votes were cast electronically.

Mr Lamb, a 33-year-old Marine veteran, ran on a relatively conservative ticket, as he attempted to win over Trump voters. After the election he said: “I know there are people who voted for the president and also for me. I thank them for hearing me out.”

Republicans publicly attempted to downplay the result, saying Mr Lamb adopted a “conservative agenda” and dismissing the race as a one-off.

There was also criticism of Mr Saccone, a 66-year-old state representative who Mr Trump had reportedly dubbed a “weak” candidate behind closed doors.

The Democrats especially performed well in suburbs that had leaned towards Mr Trump in 2016 – a trend seen in the party’s Alabama senator and Virginia governor wins last year.

Currently the Republicans hold both houses of congress – the Senate and the House of Representatives – and the White House, meaning theoretically they can force through legislation on party lines.

However, losing control of the House of Representatives would open Mr Trump up to possible impeachment proceedings, which are started in that chamber.

Democrats need to take around 24 more of the 435 House of Representative seats to get a majority, something achievable given historic results for presidents with low popularity ratings.

Taking the Senate, where the Republicans have a 51-49 majority, will prove trickier because far more sitting Democrat senators are up for re-election than their rivals.

The Pennsylvania result could also fuel a surge of retirements from incumbent Republicans who choose to walk away from their seats rather than face the prospect of defeat. A Republican strategist told CNN: “If you’re sitting on a beach and you see a tsunami coming, there’s only so much you can fortify. The best strategy is to evacuate.”