Saccone scrambles to enter race for new district
Republican nomination, is expected to run in the new 14th. Mr. Reschenthaler, of Jefferson Hills, lives just outside the new district’s boundaries, but that seems less of a political liability given how the map is in flux.
Mr. Reschenthaler’s campaign advisers would not comment for this story, but Republicans say he is being encouraged to run after Mr. Saccone’sapparent loss Tuesday. And he’s already picked up one champion: State Sen. Kim Ward, of Westmoreland County, tweeted Thursday morning, “State Senator Guy Reschenthaler considering Congressionalrun in the new district. Do it!”
The statement was notable: Ms. Ward also sought the party’s nomination in the special election. When she couldn’t get it during a November gathering of party conferees, her supporters swung to Mr. Saccone’s cause, ending Mr. Reschenthaler’s hopes. seat.’ I feel like I’ve
This time, though, is different. heard that before at some “I have zero interest in point in the past couple this race — I thought about it months. I’m going to support for maybe 20 seconds — and I someone who will work want to see us hold the seat,” hard and raise money.” said Ms. Ward, who confirmed “Rick’s a nice guy,” Ms. petitions were already Ward added. “But the party being circulated for put $12 million into him, and Mr. Reschenthaler in the district. it didn’t work, so I’m going to support another candidate.”
She said she would back Mr. Reschenthaler if his efforts Another potential candidate, to get on the ballot succeed. state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, “Guy’s a hard worker, announced Thursday and I’m fearful of the mantra she would not run for that ‘ This is a safe Republican Congress.
Even before Tuesday, national Republicans had soured on Mr. Saccone, griping to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other outlets about everything from his anemic fundraising to his mustache. Corry Bliss, whose outsidespending group Congressional Leadership Fund spent millions of dollars trying to elect Mr. Saccone, told CNN the campaign was “a joke” and that Mr. Saccone couldn’t “walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Mr. Saccone himself, meanwhile, has made no secret of his plans to run in the 14th District for a full term starting next year. He said Thursday that he was “working hard” to compile petitions by March 20, which is the state’s deadline for filing petitions signed by at least 1,000 district residents. He dismissed criticism of his campaign as “sore-loser stuff. Some of that is to trying to avoid blame.”
Republicans are discussing a challenge of election results: Mr. Saccone said he was “not involved in the details of all of that. I just want to make sure every vote gets counted.” But he allowed that if he could do something differently during the campaign itself, “I would have tried to get my story out a lot stronger. It’s a compelling story and I wish I did get it out earlier.”
Some Republicans share that assessment, though they laid much of the fault on Mr. Saccone’s struggles to raise money on his own behalf. But Mr. Saccone said, “I know I was a strong candidate,” and he said he still had supporters excited about putting him in Congress.
Democrats, too, are lining up for a shot at the 14th District, though voters there gave Republican Donald Trump a 25-point victory in 2016 — an outcome even more lopsided than he earned in the current 18th.
Tom Prigg, who spent much of 2017 preparing to challenge incumbent Republican Keith Rothfus in the current 12th District, announced a bid in the 14th last week. “I know this area. I know these people,” Mr. Prigg,a native of Washington County, said in a statement. “This is a district where economic, health care and food insecurities are major issues [and] too many people feel they don’t have a voice in government.”
Mr. Prigg joined another familiar name: Emergency physician Bob Solomon, a Bernie Sanders-style Democrat who lost the Democratic nomination to Mr. Lamb last year, announced his bid for the 14th late last month. Saying “our health care system is broken” and that “universal access to health care will improve the quality of life of [everyone] in the 14th District,” Dr. Solomon said in a statement that voters “deserve a representative in Congress who will take the fight to Washington D.C. on their behalf.”
One candidate voters won’t be hearing from again — at least not this go-round — is Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli. Ms. Cerilli was another Democrat Mr. Lamb defeated for the party’s endorsement. (Though she appeared with him on Election Day itself, the only one of his former rivals with whom he made such an appearance.)
“This was a tough decision, and I told Conor I wouldn’t make it until after the election, but there’s just too much uncertainty about the congressional map,” Ms. Cerilli said. “I’d love to be in Washington, but there’s still a lot of work I can do here. So I’m focusing on the county — and I’m very excited to run for re-election in 2019. There will be a whole new map after the 2020 Census and maybe in the future I will look at it.”