Lamb Defeats Rothfus In PA 17th Congressional District

PITTSBURGH, PA - Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, a political neophyte this time last year, now has been elected to Congress twice in the past eight months. Lamb defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus in the newly redrawn 17th Congressional District, sending Rothfus home after a six years in Washington.

With 99 percent of districts reporting, Lamb had 173,054 votes to Rothfus' 134,948. That's a 56 percent to 43 percent margin.

Lamb's victory came as Democrats were projected to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years. The Senate, however, was projected to stay in Republican hands, dividing Congress until the 2020 elections.

Rothfus and Lamb were the only two incumbent congressmen in the country squaring off in the election. Those unusual circumstances were triggered by the state Supreme Court ordering Pennsylvania districts to be redrawn, resulting in portions of Lamb’s 18th District being combined with part of Rothfus’ 12th District.

The new district covers all of Beaver County, a portion of Butler County including Cranberry, and many suburban Allegheny County communities, including Ross, McCandless, Penn Hills, Oakmont, Moon, Robinson and Sewickley.

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Lamb voted Tuesday morning at Mt. Lebanon Lutheran Church, then took his grandmother to cast her ballot at Our Lady of Victory Church in Carnegie. Rothfus voted shortly after noon at St. Stephen's Church in Sewickley.

RELATED: 2018 Election Results: Vote A Referendum On 'Trump's GOP.

Rothfus, 56, of Sewickley, vaulted to Congress in 2012 after district borders also were redrawn, defeating Democrat Mark Critz. Known for his fiscal conservatism, he was a member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus before leaving it 2016.

Lamb, 34, of Mt. Lebanon, is a former U.S. Marine and federal prosecutor. He garnered national attention in March by defeating Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone in a special election in the 18th Congressional District to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Tim Murphy’s resignation last year.

Lamb defeated Saccone by fewer than 1,000 votes out of more than 225,000 cast. Saccone lost the race but President Donald Trump might have lost even more. Many pundits opined that the election was a referendum on the president.

Throughout the race against Rothfus, Lamb enjoyed a double-digit lead in the polls, raised more money and even had Republicans are skeptical of Rothfus’ chances of winning.

In September, the U.S. House's campaign arm pulled the plug on its remaining ad buys for Rothfus. The move meant the GOP congressional campaign committee essentially ceded the race to Lamb.

According to The Hill, a newspaper covering Washington, D.C. politics and government, Rothfus "largely has been seen as a dead man walking since redistricting left him with a Democratic-leaning district and a difficult opponent in Lamb."

Instead of funneling money into what Republicans considered a lost cause, the party redirected the money to more competitive races in an attempt to maintain the party's congressional majority. Democrats need 23 seats to regain control of the House.

Rothfus and Lamb were civil in their two televised debates,, sticking largely to debating issue on which they disagree. Rothfus wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, while Lamb would prefer to fix what he considers the legislation's flaws. While Lamb would back universal background checks for firearm purchases. Rothfus would not. Lamb favors hiking the minimum wage to $15 an hour; Rothfus opposes an across-the-board increase.

Photos via U.S. House of Representatives.

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