Democrat Conor Lamb declares victory in Pennsylvania special election

Democrat Conor Lamb declared victory early Wednesday in a hard-fought special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, though he leads Republican Rick Saccone by just 597 votes, there are still absentee ballots to count, Saccone hasn't conceded, and major news organizations have not projected Lamb the victor yet. "It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it. You did it," Lamb told supporters shortly before 1 a.m. He especially thanked union workers. "We followed what I learned in the Marines — leave no one behind," Lamb said. "We went everywhere, we talked to everyone, we invited everyone in."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had already declared victory for Lamb, confident that Saccone couldn't get enough absentee votes to push him over the top, but the National Republican Congressional Committee insisted that Saccone would win "after every legal vote is counted." The seat was vacated by Tim Murphy (R), who resigned in disgrace in December. President Trump won the district by 20 points.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.