The historically Republican District 18 of Pennsylvania could swing blue in Tuesday’s special election, according to Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor at political website Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
Democratic candidate Conor Lamb is “a good fit culturally for the district,” he told Cheddar, citing Lamb’s military background and moderate views on issues like abortion and guns.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Rick Saccone “is a standard economic conservative,” said Kondik, which doesn’t necessarily sit well with the largely blue-collar residents of the district.
The race in the 18th District is shaping up as a potential bellwether for the midterm elections in November. President Trump carried the district by 20 points in 2016, and a Democratic win there would be a huge blow to him and to the GOP.
As a sign of how critical the party and the White House view the race, Trump will travel to the district on Saturday for a Saccone campaign rally. Friday afternoon, the president tweeted: Look forward to being in Pennsylvania tomorrow in support of Rick @Saccone4PA18. Big crowd expected in Moon Township. Vote Rick and see you there! #MAGA
Several weeks ago, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter campaigned with Saccone, and on Monday, Donald Trump Jr. will campaign with the Republican.
To regain control of the house, Democrats need to win 24 seats now held by the GOP. And many political experts believe the party has a good chance, particularly given the historic tendency of the party that controls the White House to lose seats in Congress during the midterms.
“Generally, the party that holds the White House pays a penalty down the ballot, particularly in special elections like we’re seeing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday,” Kondik said.
“Turnout is always significantly lower than a presidential election,” explained Kondik. “The out-party is sometimes more motivated to show up to vote.” On top of that, President Trump’s overall approval rating is hovering at a meager 40 percent.
Kondik also pointed out that the district, largely composed of the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, has a demographic makeup that veers from Trump’s base.
Voters generally have higher-than-average incomes and higher-than-average educational attainment. “It’s a Trump district, but it’s also full of voters who are sort of skeptical of Trump even though they voted for him.”
The special election was called after Rep. Patrick Murphy resigned amid reports that he had encouraged his lover to have an abortion despite his strong anti-abortion stance.
“It’s a true toss up, which is kind of crazy in and of itself,” said Kondik.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/pennsylvanias-special-election-gives-pollsters-a-sneak-peak-into-the-2018-midterms).
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 was passed in an attempt to regulate the president's ability to declare open-ended national emergencies. The point of the law, commentators said at the time, was to give Congress the power of oversight on matters of national urgency. It is perhaps ironic then that President Trump announced he will, under the provisions of that law, declare a national emergency as a way to circumvent Congress and build a border wall.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb, 15, 2019.
Amazon's decision to pull its new HQ2 out of New York City is very bad for the city ー and a sign that the home of Wall Street is falling victim to anti-business attitudes, according to former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder. "I think it's a hit to the New York economy. New York is a big city, it's a strong city, but it used to be the home to capitalism. Now it's coming under some of these socialist policies and it's going to lose companies like Amazon ($AMZN)," Puzder told Cheddar on Thursday.
Amazon has backed out of its plan to build a second headquarters in Queens, New York. The abrupt decision shocked even those who opposed Amazon's planned expansion in Long Island City. Cheddar spoke with Jimmy Van Bramer, deputy leader of the New York City Council.
A day before the anniversary of the Parkland shooting, a massacre that re-framed the debate over gun control as a defining cause of Gen Z, Congress advanced its first piece of gun legislation in decades. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a newly elected Democrat from a Parkland-adjacent district who sits on that committee, discussed the victory with Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
Catching a ride in New York just got more expensive, and passengers aren't the only ones complaining. "It's a problem for the drivers," Aleksey Medvedovskiy, the president of NYC Taxi Group, told Cheddar Wednesday. "It's a problem for the general public."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday Feb. 13, 2019.
The daunting task of paying back astronomical student loans may soon be less taxing, California Congressman Scott Peters tells told Cheddar Tuesday. Rep. Peters (D-Calif.) has received 99 co-sponsors on his bipartisan Employer Participation in Repayment Act, which would allow employers to contribute to their employees' student loan payments, tax-free.
The shocking rise in teen vaping is a public health crisis that the FDA has been slow to address, according to a nationally recognized cardiologist. Dr. Kevin Campbell, who is also CEO of Pace Mate, a digital cardiac monitoring service, said the recent study from the CDC that linked vaping to a spike in teen tobacco use shows that more serious steps need to be take. The first step? Get rid of the flavored nicotine "pods," which Campbell said are acting as a gateway for teenage beginner vapers to get hooked on nicotine.
