PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race just got even more competitive.
U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat who gained prominence in 2018 with a long-shot victory in Western Pennsylvania Trump country, launched his campaign Friday morning, adding another high-profile candidate to the mix and offering a centrist message that contrasts with some of the other early contenders.
In an opening video aimed at Democratic primary voters, he declared that democracy is at stake and focused heavily on former president Donald Trump.
“Our democracy is in crisis,” Lamb says in a video posted on Twitter and emailed to supporters. “The other side denies reality and worships Trump. They’re making it harder to vote and lying about our elections. Well, I swore an oath to protect the Constitution as a Marine, as a prosecutor and as a member of Congress.”
Lamb’s long-expected announcement leaves the Democratic field largely set, and firmed up the early contours of a nationally watched primary. He’s expected to speak Friday afternoon at an electrical workers’ union hall on Hot Metal Street in Pittsburgh, presenting himself as a tested politician who could help Democrats retain their tenuous grip on the Senate.
His video notes that Trump has repeatedly campaigned against him.
Lamb, 37, is the first well-established candidate openly reaching for Democrats’ more pragmatic, moderate wing. He has won three House elections in districts that favored Republicans, including one that in 2016 had backed former President Donald Trump by 20 percentage points, but the same stances that helped him in past races could become an obstacle with the more liberal electorate in a Democratic primary.
“These are serious times and we won’t win this race on Twitter,” Lamb says in his video.
Lamb also provides significant regional competition to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, widely seen as an early front-runner. Both are from Allegheny County and could battle for labor support.
Pennsylvania’s second largest county has provided Fetterman with a strong base of support in his previous statewide campaigns. But if he and Lamb divide voters there, it could create an opening for Democratic candidates in the populous Southeast, such as Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh or state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia — though so far only Arkoosh has shown the kind of fund-raising likely required for a statewide campaign.
The primary is a first step in a race expected to help determine control of the U.S. Senate and, with it, the fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda. It’s also shaping up as the latest contest between moderate and progressive Democrats over the party’s direction, policies, and tenor.
Democrats see the Pennsylvania race as likely their best opportunity to flip a Republican-held seat in 2022 as they scramble to keep hold of the Senate. Incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey isn’t seeking reelection.
Lamb joins the race with the second largest campaign fund among Democrats, $1.77 million as of June 30, the latest public data available. Fetterman led the field with $3.07 million.
Lamb’s supporters argue that he fits a similar mold as other Democrats who have won statewide in Pennsylvania, including Biden, Sen. Bob Casey, and Gov. Tom Wolf: perhaps less bold and exciting — and polarizing — than some rivals, but able to reach a broad swath of voters in a closely divided swing state often decided by tiny margins.
He grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs, part of a family with a deep history in Pennsylvania politics, and was a prosecutor in the Marines before becoming a federal prosecutor in Western Pennsylvania and running for Congress.
Some of the intersections with Biden have been inescapable (probably intentionally). When Lamb first won his congressional seat, Biden was the only national Democrat he campaigned with. When Biden held his first major presidential campaign event, it was at another Pittsburgh union hall.
Lamb won his congressional races with a mix of support from suburbanites, labor and establishment backing — key elements in the Democratic party — though he’ll likely also have to reach voters in cities to win the primary.
While hard-charging progressives often draw the most attention, establishment figures have won a string of major recent victories, including in the primaries for New York mayor, Virginia governor and, this week, a congressional race nearby in Ohio, suggesting that the party’s critical mass may still lean more toward the center.
Progressives, however, have flexed their muscles in recent years, including in Fetterman’s statewide win and the recent reelection of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Fetterman supporters argue that he has enthusiastic grassroots support behind him, as evidenced by his fund-raising.
Arkoosh is the only major candidate from the vote-rich Philadelphia suburbs. She’s vying to be the first Pennsylvania woman elected to the Senate and has the endorsement of EMILY’s List, an influential Democratic women’s group. Kenyatta or State Sen. Sharif Street, who is considering a run, represent the city with the state’s single biggest bloc of Democratic votes and would be the first people of color to represent Pennsylvania in the chamber.
While Lamb’s centrist appeals might help in a general election, in the Democratic primary he’ll likely face critiques about some votes and positions that could rankle voters on the left.
He has, for example, said he is personally against abortion, though he has opposed efforts to restrict the procedure, saying abortion rights are protected by the constitution. He voted against a bill to decriminalize marijuana nationwide, saying he supports the idea but that the measure went too far. And he was one of just three House Democrats to vote in 2018 to make the 2017 GOP tax cuts permanent for individuals. Lamb has long opposed the tax bill overall, saying it was too weighted to wealthy people and corporations, but said he supported the 2018 proposal because it targeted individuals.
At the same time, Lamb has adopted several more liberal stances as he neared the Senate primary. In April he announced support for banning sales of assault-style weapons, after opposing the idea when he ran in 2018. In May he said the Senate filibuster “has to go,” siding with progressives — and contrasting with Biden — on an issue animating many on the left.
Lamb also recently held a fund-raiser with Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), a lightning rod for progressives who argue he is standing in the way of major Democratic goals and an example that may factor into some Democratic voters’ minds.
Lamb’s Senate bid could also have a major impact on control of the U.S. House, where Republicans need to flip just five seats to win the majority. Lamb’s district leans slightly rightward, and while it could be reshaped in decennial redistricting, the open seat will surely be a top Republican target as Democrats lose the advantage of having a strong incumbent.
