Lamb defeats Rothfus in battle of incumbents
CRANBERRY TWP — Democrat Congressman Conor Lamb will represent the newly formed 17th Congressional District that includes parts of Cranberry Township.
Lamb, D-18th, defeated Congressman Keith Rothfus, R-12th, for the seat during Tuesday's general election, in the only race in the country featuring two incumbents. Results are unofficial until certified by local boards of election.
The district, which was put in place by the state Supreme Court earlier this year, includes a portion of Cranberry Township as well as all of Beaver County and most of western Allegheny County.
Rothfus defeated Lamb in Butler County, with 4,407 votes to Lamb's 3,850, according to Department of State results. That included Rothfus winning each individual precinct in Cranberry Township, including one by a 1-vote margin, 7 to 6.
In Beaver County, Rothfus outgained Lamb by a 33,811 to 31,470 margin, or 52 percent to 48 percent.
However, Lamb defeated Rothfus in Allegheny County 59 percent to 41 percent, with Lamb amassing 139,661 votes to Rothfus' 98,414.
Lamb, 33, of Mount Lebanon, is a former federal prosecutor and earlier this year won a special election for the 18th District, defeating Republican candidate Rick Saccone, a state representative for the 39th District. His district currently includes parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington and Green counties.
“We did it again,” he told those gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Cranberry Township. “You did it again.”
The victory party was part celebration, part rock concert, featuring performances by Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers and Donnie Iris.
Addressing those assembled, Lamb said Western Pennsylvania has a number of great leaders, and their leadership was on display during the recent attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
“A terrorist, an anti-Semite, tried to rip this town apart,” he said, adding that leadership has held the community together.He added that approach to make sure everyone in the community is spoken and cared for will carry into his work.“We will look out for each other,” he sad. “We will leave no one behind.”Lamb thanked his supporters, from labor unions to young people — many of whom he acknowledged could not yet vote. He said the common theme over the past year and two elections was that people of all walks were scared.“People told us over and over that they were worried that our country had changed in some way for the worse,” he said.In campaigning, knocking on more than 350,000 doors in the region, Lamb and his team said he found the electorate to be willing to listen, and unlike the argumentative displays one sees on television.“I knocked on thousands of doors myself ... and not a single person ever kicked me off their doorstep,” he said. “People took me in, they welcomed me, they gave me a chance to make my case.”He said he heard from voters that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were top priorities, as well as protecting pensions and making sure children and grandchildren were taken care of for the future.“We've heard you, loud and clear,” he told those assembled. “This is your government. It's time to make it work for you.”
