MOULTON IS A WOLF
Pa. special election loss stoking fears of suburban ‘revolt’ vs. GOP
WASHINGTON — The apparent defeat of the GOP candidate in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional district special election should have been a wake-up call for Republicans.
Most of the party’s members, however, spent yesterday putting a positive spin on the race — evidencing either a deep denial of the growing signs of Democratic momentum heading into the midterms, or a lack of a plan to do anything about it.
Democrat Conor Lamb’s likely victory, save a lastditch recount effort, over Republican Rick Saccone in a district handily won by President Trump — and where Trump stumped on the GOP hopeful’s behalf — is a troubling harbinger for the party in deep danger of losing the House in November. Even worse, it could be a sign of a potential Democratic wave that could also sweep away GOP state legislature and gubernatorial hopefuls.
But you wouldn’t know that from hearing Republicans talk about it yesterday.
White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters that the race was “essentially a tie,” and said Trump’s campaigning actually helped Saccone close the gap.
Others brushed aside the notion that the race was evidence of voters rebuffing Trump, calling it instead a referendum on Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi. Lamb said he will not support Pelosi as speaker should Democrats take back the House after the midterms.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Lamb essentially played Republicans’ own game, because he “ran as a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-Nancy Pelosi conservative.”
Special elections are not, in isolation, perfect predictors of any upcoming wave. But this week’s race — coupled with GOP defeats in Republican strongholds where Trump injected himself into the contest — point to a major problem that only a few Republicans seem willing to acknowledge publicly.
GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak said the race makes two things clear: “Democrats have a significant enthusiasm advantage, and the suburbs are in full revolt against the GOP.”
And he said, Republicans need to make changes.
“House Republicans need to advance an agenda this year, rather than sit back and hope the tax law saves their majority,” Mackowiak said.
Other Republicans worried that Trump’s campaigning on Saccone’s behalf backfired, potentially adding more to the Democrats’ get-out-thevote efforts than boosting the Republican hopeful. That Trump has promised to spend more time on the stump ahead of the midterms doesn’t bode well, they said.
“Like all grifters, Trump works the short con … voters are now on to him,” tweeted GOP strategist Mike Murphy with the hashtag: #EndsBadly.
“We got our ass kicked,” U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (RLa.) said plainly to reporters on Capitol Hill. “It’s what the political prognosticators call a good, oldfashioned ass-kicking.”