It looks like Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., is going to be sticking around Congress.
Though he was only elected last March, Lamb is on the ballot again this November, squaring off against Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Pa., in the battle for Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 17th Congressional District. A Monmouth University poll conducted from July 19 to 22 found Lamb with a 12-point lead over Rothfus.
Though it’s the only incumbent-on-incumbent race in the country this cycle, coming off the big upset he won last spring, Lamb has reason to be confident. President Trump won Lamb’s current district by 20 points in 2016. According to Monmouth, Trump “only won the newly configured 17th District electorate by about 2 points.” As a centrist Democrat capable of winning support from Trump voters, Lamb is something of an endangered species. His double-digit lead in another Trump friendly district reinforces this.
If he can win over the voters in the old 18th District, the centrist Democrat shouldn’t have much problem doing the same in a district Trump won by a much smaller margin. But that’s still a feat. Though voters preferred him to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Monmouth found Trump’s job approval is now underwater in the district. About 51 percent disapprove of his job performance, while 44 percent approve, according to the survey.
Election Day is still more than three months away, but Lamb’s double-digit lead suggests he has staying power, and will likely remain one of the few Democrats to represent Trump districts going forward.
