Democrats see Pennsylvania special election as 'temperature check on Trump'

The March 13 special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District will be the first big race of 2018, providing a pulse check for Democrats as they head into the midterms anxious to flip control of the House.

Democrats like their candidate. Conor Lamb is a 33-year-old Marine veteran and former assistant U.S. attorney running for the open seat. But strategists are cautious because President Trump won the district by 20 points in 2016.

If Lamb even comes within striking distance of Republican Rick Saccone, it would be a major feat. It would also be a good indicator, Democrats say, of what can happen in races where the party puts more skin in the game, giving candidates an extra push to get over the finish line in November.

“We’re going to win,” predicted Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.

Ellison, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, visited Pennsylvania the weekend before Trump traveled to the state to give Saccone a boost. After multiple mishaps in early 2017 special elections, the DNC shifted its strategy, taking an under-the-radar approach in Alabama that paid off. The party appears to be doing the same in Pennsylvania.