The closely watched congressional race in Pennsylvania between Republican Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb is so tight because it is in a "Democrat district," Val DiGiorgio, the chairman of the state's Republican Party, told Fox News on Monday.
But that is not true, Politico reported.
The 18th district supported Donald Trump by 20 points in the presidential election, and backed Republican nominee Mitt Romney by double digits in 2012 and John McCain by 11 points in 2008. Tim Murphy, the former GOP congressman to hold the district seat for more than a decade, ran unopposed twice and never won by less than 58 percent.
Lamb is leading Saccone, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday, 51 to 45 percent, and a win for him would be a shocking upset. His edge is a turnaround from February's Monmouth poll, which showed Saccone holding a small lead in all models.
DiGiorgio said Lamb's success partly stems from him "trying to portray himself as a moderate who goes along with the Republicans on conservative issues. But when you drill down, you realize that's not really true."
President Donald Trump privately called Saccone a "weak" candidate, but still stumped for him Saturday, and called on Pennsylvania voters Monday to vote for the Republican.
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