Pennsylvania election with national ramifications goes down to wire

WASHINGTON: Pennsylvania's closely-watched special election headed to the wire Tuesday in a race seen as a major test for President Donald Trump and a Republican Party fighting to maintain its control of the US Congress.
Democrat Conor Lamb, a former federal prosecutor and US Marine officer, has run a surprisingly strong race against Republican state representative Rick Saccone as they battle to fill a vacant congressional seat for District 18, the working-class southwestern corner of the Keystone State.
Should Lamb, just 33 and a political novice, flip the seat that has been held by Republicans for the last several elections, it has the potential of shaking up the political landscape on a national level.
And it would show Democrats they can win in what has been considered Trump country, giving them a surge in enthusiasm, fundraising and grass roots activism as they head toward November's all-important mid-term elections.
Turnout appeared to be high for a special election, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported, citing poll workers.
Polls closed at 8:00 pm local time (0000 GMT, 8am Malaysia time), and early results showed Lamb ahead.
Trump, who won the district by about 20 points in his 2016 presidential race, endorsed Saccone and made an 11th-hour campaign stop with the candidate.
But Lamb's unexpectedly strong performance — the race was considered a toss-up going into Tuesday — underscored the challenges that Republicans face as they prepare to defend their majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives in Nov.
The party occupying the Oval Office tends to lose seats in the first mid-terms after winning the presidency.
With chaos swirling in the White House, Trump's approval rating under water, and a special prosecutor investigating potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, Democrats are counting on a domino effect at the polls to send them back to power in Congress.
Republican organizations have poured millions of dollars of outside money into the race in the hopes of dragging Saccone across the finish line and signaling that their position ahead of the mid-terms is not as precarious as Democrats suggest.
Some Republican strategists have reportedly suggested Saccone was a lackluster candidate with a disorganized campaign, while Democrats have noted that Lamb's blue-collar roots, support of organized labor and moderate political views were helping him win crossover support in conservative areas.
"He's build for the district," Joe Trippi, a veteran Democratic strategist, said on CNN.
In District 18, several of Trump's campaign promises have resonated with voters — in particular, his call for restricting immigration, supporting gun rights, and bringing back jobs in the coal and steel industries.
At a Monday rally at Blaine Hill fire department, Saccone took aim at Democrats, portraying them as having "a hatred for our president," "a hatred for our country", and "a hatred for God".
But Lamb has worked to avoid alienating Trump supporters, and downplayed the idea that the Pennsylvania election is a referendum on the controversial commander-in-chief.
The district's voters "overwhelmingly want me to work with the president", Lamb said after casting his ballot Tuesday.

'Grassroots energy'
Trump has described Saccone as "very strong on experience" while painting Lamb as "weak on crime" and border security.
"The economy is raging, at an all time high, and is set to get even better. Jobs and wages up," Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
"Vote for Rick Saccone and keep it going!"
Lamb is endorsed by the main mineworkers and steelworkers unions in the region, whereas Saccone, 60, has had a tempestuous relationship with organized labor.
Democrats came close to flipping Republican seats several times before in US House special elections last year, in Georgia, Kansas, Montana and South Carolina. While those Democrats ultimately fell short, they fared better than Hillary Clinton did against Trump in those districts in the 2016 presidential race.
Pennsylvania 18's previous congressman, Republican Tim Murphy, resigned last year amid an adultery scandal. — AFP