Former Vice President Joe Biden rallied support Tuesday for Conor Lamb in the special election race in western Pennsylvania, telling union members that the Democrat will push back against a system that is “rigged” against the working-class and “throw himself in front of the train” to prevent cuts to Social Security.
Mr. Biden’s visit was yet another sign of how Democrats are optimistic about Mr. Lamb’s chances of defeating Republican Rick Saccone in a congressional district that President Trump carried by nearly 20 points in 2016.
“Get out and make sure he wins,” Mr. Biden, 75, said. “It will set a trend in the nation. It will change things.”
The stakes are high in the March 13 special election.
Republicans have sunk millions of dollars into derailing Mr. Lamb and making sure that Democrats do not emerge with bragging rights ahead of the midterm elections, where the GOP majority in the House is considered vulnerable.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to return to the district Saturday to campaign with Mr. Saccone. The president is expected to tout his recently announced plan to slap tariffs on steel imports as proof that he is fighting to revitalize the steel industry, which touches around 170,000 workers and families in the district.
Vice President Mike Pence and Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, have also have campaigned with Mr. Saccone.
Mr. Biden on Tuesday made a pair of stops for Mr. Lamb, saying the 33-year-old reminds him of his late son, Beau Biden, because “with Beau and with Conor it is always about the other guy.”
“Public service is in his blood,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Lamb understands blue-collar workers and that it is all about showing them the “dignity and respect” they deserve, he said.
“Some people in my party don’t even get it anymore,” Mr. Biden said. “It is about our pride. It is about our dignity. … It is about who were are and what we’ve done, and it makes me angry.”
Mr. Biden steered clear of directly attacking Mr. Trump, who remains popular in the area. He did take aim at Mr. Saccone, warning that the Republican has supported right-to-work laws, and deep cuts to education.
“This guy he is running against just doesn’t quite get it,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden also criticized the $1.5 trillion tax bill that Republicans ushered into law, calling it a tax cut for the “super wealthy they didn’t earn” and saying it is part of a broader scheme to cut entitlement programs.
“What they did was, they bought enough politicians,” he said. “But guess what—your Social Security and Medicare? You paid for it!”
Mr. Lamb praised Mr. Biden’s record of public service.
“I don’t think there is another person in public life today who knows in his bones the struggles that working people face better than Joe Biden does,” Mr. Lamb said. “He has always been a champion for the dreams and aspirations of our working people.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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