In general, congressional elections never really excite the American people. Congressional races only see a 40 percent voter turnout, although that is not much less than presidential races which see a 60 percent voter turnout. Congressional elections rarely get much media attention — so why is Pennsylvania’s 2018 Congressional election different? Unsurprisingly, it has a lot to do with Trump and the 2016 presidential election. In the 18th congressional district of Pennsylvania, Trump won the district over Clinton by 20 points. However, the congressional race between veteran Conor Lamb (D) and state Rep. Rick Saccone (R) has been neck and neck. During elections in the past decades, the 18th congressional district has never seen a Democratic candidate win. This election is assumed to be a reassessment of performance of Trump’s presidency.

Unfortunately, Republicans don’t think too highly of their Republican candidate. Saccone, although a long time state representative for the 39th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, didn’t resonate with Republican voters in the state. Between Saccone’s lack of “chutzpah” and poor fund-raising, he is seen to be extremely unpopular in the state. However, the GOP donated over $10 million into the race to support Saccone — which may or may not have been out of fear of his vulnerability as a candidate. Nonetheless, Trump visited Moon Township, Pennsylvania to support and campaign for Saccone, telling those in attendance “don’t forget, this got us elected.” However, compared to the Georgia special election, even this did not excite die-hard Pennsylvanian Trump supporters. The Saccone campaign seemed like a joke to many, and even Trump spoke out against his lack of charisma.

On the other hand, Lamb has out-fundraised Saccone over 500%. The backbone of his campaign has been led by a coalition of anti-Trump groups and women. However, interesting enough, Lamb has been dubbed as a “Pro-Trump Democratic veteran.” He is a moderate Democratic, who opposes a ban on assault rifles, personally opposes abortion (although not politically), and supports Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs which was an unpopular piece of legislation in southwestern Pennsylvania. When compared to many other Democratic candidates in the country, Lamb is very moderate and supports conservative stances. His win may not be much of a loss to many Republican voters of the 18th district.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is considered “Trump country” as it’s 94% white and home to many blue-collar workers. However, for the first time in 15 years, a Democrat has taken control of the 18th seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Although a particularly tight race, Saccone finally conceded the race to Lamb last week. While the outcome may be surprising for many Republicans in the district, Lamb will only occupy the seat for a year before midterm elections arrive.