Lamb: Traveling needed to secure Senate seat
ERIE, Pa. — Hobnobbing with many of the Democrats who helped turn Erie County blue in the 2020 presidential election, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb kicked off the second day of his U.S. Senate campaign by saying it will take “going everywhere” across Pennsylvania for him to win the seat.
The travel talk underscores what many Democrats say is the key to winning statewide campaigns: Trying to resonate with center-right voters who may have supported Donald Trump in one or both of the last presidential elections but could be swayed by a moderate.
“This is going to be the most important Senate race in the nation in 2022, and I think we have to have a candidate who is ready to take on the unexpected and ready to talk to voters regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum,” state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, D-Erie, said Saturday, adding that he believes the best-suited candidates can “pull in votes from across the aisle.”
It’s a message that is made for general elections, but one that will have to inspire Democrats in a primary election next year that includes Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Montgomery County Commission Chair Val Arkoosh and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta — each of
whom attracts different wings of the party and some of whom can be considered more progressive than Mr. Lamb.
As such, “electability” is shaping up to be an buzzword in the Democratic race, as party members recognize the stakes of winning the seat that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey will give up next year.
Pennsylvania has the only Senate seat up for election that was held by a Republican in a state that Joe Biden won last year, making it a prime target for Democrats aiming to add to their simple majority in the chamber.
But perceived moderacy might not be the only thing that can win statewide. Mr. Fetterman, for example, launched his campaign by saying that legalizing marijuana, dismantling the war on drugs, fighting for the “union way of life” and standing beside the LGBTQIA community and immigrants are “fundamental truths” that shouldn’t be placed on a political spectrum.
Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Kenyattaand Ms. Arkoosh have all come to Erie to campaign as well and “know they can’t take Erie for granted,”Mr. Bizzarro said.
“Their views are very similar, but it’s about achieving those views,” Mr. Bizzaro said of the primary field, “and that’s where the difference is in: philosophy. I like a candidate who is familiar with the beast in Washington and knows how to navigate.”
Mr. Lamb, speaking Saturday at Calamari’s Squid Row on State Street, repeated his opening pitch from Friday that democracy is on the line — this time noting that two or three years ago, he wouldn’t have said that, even though Mr. Trump was president. He said the Jan. 6 Capitol riots simplified politics in America, making it clear that “you’re either for self-government” and the Constitution or against them.
In a question-and-answer session, the Mt. Lebanon resident touted his contribution to the passing of the American Rescue Act. Local officials did, too, noting that the Erie County Council had just released a spending plan for $26 million of the funds.
Mr. Lamb, greeting the county council chair who was instrumental in producing the plan, said, “You guys are fighting the good fight” — similar to his praise of the Democrats who helped flip the county for Mr. Biden.
Mr. Bizzaro said the electorate is gravitating to the center or to the centerright, and it’s “important we have a candidate who is familiar with dealing with that.” Introducing Mr. Lamb, he told the crowd the congressman had won three times in territory that is difficult for Western Pennsylvania Democrats.
“Primaries are great for our democratic process, but at the end of the day, it’s not about checking boxes,” Mr. Bizzaro said. “It’s about qualification and who has been tested and proven in a general election.”