Trump campaigned for Republican who lost in Pennsylvania, but is taking credit for Democrat's win
Yes, Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone lost in a district that President Trump won by 20 points, and sure, Trump and his eldest son both stumped for him in the days leading up to Tuesday's special election, but none of that matters when the Democrat and Trump are basically doppelgängers.
At least that's the gist of what Trump said during a private fundraiser Wednesday night in Missouri for U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley. In a tape obtained by The Atlantic, Trump is heard discussing Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district race, which Democrat Conor Lamb won by a razor-thin margin. Trump told donors that Lamb, 33, ran a "pretty smart race, actually," then took credit for his win.
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Maybe the real lesson here isn't that Lamb is actually a sleeper Republican, but rather that Hawley should consider keeping his Trump-related events behind closed doors, lest he become the latest Republican to lose after a very public Trump endorsement.
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