Analysts predict ‘dog fight’ between Rothfus, Lamb

After redistricting, two incumbents face off

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With three open seats on the other side of the state to worry about, Republicans didn’t want to have to sink resources into defending an incumbent in Western Pennsylvania who won his last two congressional elections in the 12th District overwhelmingly.

But as is the nature of Pennsylvania politics post-redistricting, U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Sewickley, is facing the prospect of a “dog fight” — as one analyst called it — against Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, in territory that is much less red than the districts they both currently represent.

“It’s less of a Republican seat than it was, and Conor has a lot of enthusiasm and energy behind him,” said Sam DeMarco, a Republican state committeeman and at-large council representative in Allegheny County. “It’s going to be tight and close. But I think Keith has a lot of things going for him.”

Since neither incumbent faced a true primary challenger, the race for the 17th Congressional District — which encompasses most of Beaver County, the northern half of Allegheny and a small corner of Butler — officially amped up this week with the start of general election season, and it didn’t take long for both parties to provide a glimpse into their playbooks.

In interviews conducted after primary day, Republican officials sought to downplay Mr. Lamb’s momentum stemming from his upset victory in a special election for the 18th in March, while Democrats pinned Mr. Rothfus as a Donald Trump apologist who helped give tax breaks to the rich.

On both issues, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. Mr. Lamb’s status as an “overnight