While endorsing Republican Rick Saccone, Trump showed how out of touch he is with the mood of the electorate by telling voters that Saccone will always vote for him, which was exactly what Democrats needed in PA-18.
Video:
Here is the moment where Conor Lamb may have won #PA18 https://t.co/BGKS5rrGgT pic.twitter.com/o4QpAWUtmS
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 11, 2018
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Trump said, ” Remember this, the other opponent, his opponent is not voting for us. There’s no way he’s voting for us ever. Ever. He could be nice to me. He is. There’s no way he’s ever voting for me. Rick is going to vote for us all the time. All the time.”
The reason why voters like Conor Lamb is that he is promising to be his own person and represent them, not Donald Trump or any special interests. The worst thing that Trump could have said is vote for Rick Saccone, he’ll be a rubber stamp for me. Trump literally said that Saccone will vote with him all of the time. That is not what the voters in the 18th District want to hear.
Conor Lamb couldn’t have written Trump’s remarks better himself. It is possible that the district’s heavy Republican tilt will allow Saccone to pull it out in the end, but the momentum is all going toward Conor Lamb. People want change. They don’t want a Donald Trump rubber stamp.
Trump handed the special election to Lamb on a silver platter by playing right into the entire theme of the Democrat’s campaign. The Trump rally for Saccone was a mess. Rick Saccone was an afterthought as Trump attacked Chuck Todd, Oprah Winfrey, and rehashed the 2016 election.
The President Of The United States is supposed to help candidates in his own party win elections, but Trump’s appearance was so terrible that it may have helped Conor Lamb close the deal in a tight special election.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
