Vice President Mike Pence on Friday called on voters in southwest Pennsylvania to rally behind Republican Rick Saccone in his March 13 special election race against Democrat Conor Lamb in the state’s 18th Congressional District.
Mr. Pence said Mr. Saccone is the kind of leader President Trump needs on his team in Washington.
“I am here because we stand with Rick Saccone and Pennsylvania conservatives and come to think of it we always stand for our flag and our national anthem as well,” Mr. Pence said at the campaign rally. “But I came to Pennsylvania today with a pretty simple message from me and from that president we helped elect. We need the Keystone State to send Rick Saccone to the Congress of the United States.”
The district has been a GOP bulwark for years, but the Pence visit underscored how Republicans are taking nothing for granted and how the race appears to be competitive. Campaign finance reports released this week showed Mr. Lamb, 33, has raised more than twice as much money as Mr. Saccone, 59.
Mr. Saccone, though, has gotten a big boost from outside groups that have invested heavily on his behalf and from recent visits from President Trump and now Mr. Pence.
Mr. Pence said Mr. Saccone, a state lawmaker and Air Force veteran, has shown through his service in the military and eight years in the legislature that he is a patriot and committed to defending taxpayers.
“Rick Saccone has our total support,” Mr. Pence said.
Mr. Saccone warmed up the crowd for Mr. Pence, saying the Trump administration is delivering results for the people of Pennsylvania and saying the recent tax rewrite has boosted the local economy.
“This campaign is about something bigger than all of us - it is about making America great again,” he said, alluding to Mr. Trump’s campaign slogan. “Are you with us?”
The visit from Mr. Pence came a day after Rep. Joe Kennedy III campaigned with Mr. Lamb.
The campaign finance reports released this week showed Mr. Lamb has more than $400,000 cash on hand, compared to $200,000 for Mr. Saccone.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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