House Republican leaders warned rank-and-file members Wednesday that they need to make sure their coffers are full so they can take on Democratic challengers as early as possible this year, now that a Democrat is threatening to win a “wake-up call” election held in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
The warning, delivered by the House GOP’s campaign chief and Republican leaders at election headquarters, came after Tuesday night’s apparent victory by Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District, which President Trump won by 20 points in 2016. That result weighed heavily over the GOP meeting Wednesday morning.
“I think everybody on our side is concerned,” Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said after the meeting. “Obviously people are angry.”
Republican leaders warned lawmakers not to make the same mistakes as Rick Saccone, the Republican who now appears to have lost the closely contested race.
“You ought to be feeling anxious,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said after the meeting. “This is a difficult election cycle and you’d better be ready.”
The message sent “loud and clear” to GOP lawmakers was that Saccone “didn’t raise the money to define himself, he didn’t raise the money to define Lamb,” Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., said after the meeting.
Collins said the GOP has “had many wake up calls” warning them about their prospects in 2018. Political observers say special elections across the country this year, such as Alabama’s Senate race, point to a Democratic wave in 2018.
But GOP leaders told lawmakers Tuesday the Pennsylvania race was “most unusual,” because Lamb did not have a primary contest that would have likely forced him to run as a more progressive candidate. Instead, Lamb defined himself as pro-gun, pro-life and anti-Pelosi.
“This isn’t something you are going to see repeated,” Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters after the meeting. “Both of these candidates ran as conservatives. I just don’t think you are going to see that across the country.”
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers warned against “making sweeping predictions” based on Lamb’s apparent victory. She and other GOP leaders said voters have yet to fully understand the benefits of the tax cut law, which will ultimately help the party in November.
“We have a great track record,” Ryan said. “Focusing on the accomplishments we have made and how it improves people’s lives is something we should focus on.”
Barton said Trump, who campaigned in the district, “was a positive factor,” and that Lamb’s victory resulted from the candidate running like a Republican.
“How many times is that going to happen?” Barton asked. “How many times on the Democratic side is the candidate going to say I like the NRA?”
Barton said the GOP hurt itself by failing to pass healthcare reform. But it won’t be a fatal blow to the party in November, he said.
“We’ve got issues,” Barton said. “But, I don’t think anybody is going to lose sleep over this one race. Because it was so unusual.”
