For Congress: Rothfus
The PG endorses Keith Rothfus in 17th District
Three developments over the past year — the resignation of a veteran congressman, the election of a short-term replacement and the state Supreme Court’s redrawing of congressional districts — have made for an unusual match-up in the Nov. 6 election.
Voters will choose between two incumbents, Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Keith Rothfus, to be the congressman in the newly redrawn 17th District. They should elect Mr. Rothfus, who is not the most energetic or visible representative but has demonstrated a grasp of the issues and values important to southwestern Pennsylvania.
Mr. Rothfus, of Sewickley, is winding down his third term in the 12th District. After the abrupt resignation last year of Republican Tim Murphy, who came under fire for suggesting his mistress have an abortion during a pregnancy scare, Mr. Lamb, of Mt. Lebanon, won a special election to serve out his term in the 18th District.
The new 17th District, taking in parts of Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties, is less favorable registration-wise to Mr. Rothfus, but as Mr. Murphy’s long tenure showed, Democrats in 18th District communities are willing to cross party lines for the right candidate.
Mr. Rothfus supports a tough line on China for steel-dumping and other economic shenanigans. He understands the importance of supporting the coal industry and infrastructure development, including improvements to locks and dams. He recognizes that small towns have been devastated by unfair trade practices, so he has co-sponsored legislation that would create “opportunity zones” where development will be spurred by investors who would receive a deferral on capital gains taxes.
Mr. Lamb is a gifted and likable representative who has staked out moderate positions befitting what he calls a “Western Pennsylvania Democrat.” At a recent debate, for example, he said he hadn’t observed “anything that calls for further investigation” of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He also said it would be “totally premature” to talk about impeaching President Donald Trump at this point, even though other Democrats have raised the specter of impeachment proceedings if they flip control of Congress.
But flipping the Congress would be bad for the country now. The economy is humming along, and the Trump administration is moving to correct trade imbalances.
Also, restoring Democratic control of the House likely would mean the restoration of Rep. Nancy Pelosi to speaker. Ms. Pelosi, who represents an extremely liberal district in San Francisco, does not understand or care about what’s right for the people of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Mr. Lamb is an impressive young politician and no doubt has a great future, no matter the outcome of this race. During his campaign to replace Mr. Murphy last spring, Mr. Lamb said he would not vote to retain Ms. Pelosi as Democratic leader. But this would be a very hard promise to keep. He is new to a caucus Ms. Pelosi controls with an iron fist and he is tied inextricably to a congressional party that, at the moment, seem to have no plan for the American people or the American economy other than to oppose President Trump, who has given the people of Western Pennsylvania the first small measure of economic opportunity they have had in a long time. Mr. Lamb will surely not vote for the Republican candidate for speaker. Mr. Rothfus still has a long way to go if he is to be a great congressman, but he is in better tune with the hopes and needs of the new 17th District.