By now, you know that the Republicans are in full panic mode over the special election in PA-18. An election-eve poll has Conor Lamb leading just outside the margin of error. Trump is privately trashing Rick Saccone as a bad candidate, and the NRCC has had to give Saccone a crash course in fundraising.
There’s good reason for the Republicans to be scared. It’s no secret that Saccone is getting destroyed in fundraising—Lamb has outraised him by almost five to one. But it’s even more stark when you look at how much Tim Murphy’s opponents took in, via Open Secrets (Murphy ran unopposed in 2014 and 2016).
- 2002: Jack Machek, $134,620
- 2004: Mark Boles, $145,003
- 2006: Chad Kluko, $95,320
- 2008: Stephen O’Donnell, $339,521
- 2010: Daniel Connolly, $286,999
- 2012: Larry Maggi, $620,205
By comparison, Lamb has raised $3.3 million. Do the math--Lamb has racked up almost three times as much money as Murphy’s opponents combined. This is not supposed to happen in an R+11 district.
Is it any wonder Lamb is poised to bleed Saccone white, and possibly win, in a district Trump carried by 20? And is it any wonder that the Republicans are in panic mode?