The White House attempted Wednesday to put a happy face on a likely Democratic win in a Pennsylvania special election where President Trump went all-in for the GOP candidate.
“The president’s engagement in the race turned what was a deficit for the Republican candidate to what is essentially a tie,” said White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah. “Also the Democrat in the race really embraced the president’s policies and his vision whereas he didn’t really embrace [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader.”
Democrat Conor Lamb narrowly led Republican Rick Saccone in a House district in southeastern Pennsylvania that Mr. Trump carried by nearly 20 points in 2016.
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The GOP loss in the usually reliably conservative district, where Mr. Trump headlined a rally Saturday for Mr. Saccone, is widely viewed as a harbinger of tough midterm elections ahead for Republicans.
Mr. Saccone was down by as much as 8 points in the polls heading into the election Tuesday.
Mr. Lamb, who was selected by a party committee rather than voters because of the special election process, ran as a conservative, pro-life, pro-gun Democrat who vowed to oppose a leadership role for Mrs. Pelosi.
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