Democrat Conor Lamb appears to have eked out a victory in what had been the deeply Republican 18th congressional district of Pennsylvania. A sleeper issue in this rural district was the opioid crisis, and Lamb was able to use Republican Rick Saccone's own words to paint him as insufficiently committed to a solution.
Lamb's counterparts responded in the campaign's final week.
Lamb's ad begins with a shot of the NRCC ad, labeled as a "GOP Attack Ad." A female narrator says, "In TV ads, Rick Saccone and his supporters use the images of opioid addiction for political gain"
Then she goes in for the kill: "But as a state legislator, here's Rick Saccone talking to families whose loved ones have struggled with addiction."
Video of that hearing was dug up by the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge and shared with the media.
Lamb's upset victory suggests that Republicans who are typically comfortable with running on budget cuts may want to think twice about apply that conservative mindset to the opioid crisis, which affects congressional districts across the partisan spectrum.
Lamb Skewers Saccone on Opioid Funding
The National Republican Congressional Candidate media team tried to malign Lamb as soft on drug kingpins in his role as a federal prosecutor with this ad:Lamb's counterparts responded in the campaign's final week.
Lamb's ad begins with a shot of the NRCC ad, labeled as a "GOP Attack Ad." A female narrator says, "In TV ads, Rick Saccone and his supporters use the images of opioid addiction for political gain"
Then she goes in for the kill: "But as a state legislator, here's Rick Saccone talking to families whose loved ones have struggled with addiction."
Oppo Researchers American Bridge Dig Up Video of Saccone Hearing
We then see footage of a 2017 public hearing in which Saccone gruffly says, "Everybody comes and says ‘we want more funding.' You know, ‘we need more funding, we need more funding.’ We don’t have anymore funding. Okay? We’re gonna try to cut the budget."Video of that hearing was dug up by the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge and shared with the media.
Lamb's upset victory suggests that Republicans who are typically comfortable with running on budget cuts may want to think twice about apply that conservative mindset to the opioid crisis, which affects congressional districts across the partisan spectrum.