Saccone, Lamb Gearing Up To Run For Congress In 2 Different Districts
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Forget the special congressional election just finished in the old 18th Congressional District.
Both Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone are plotting their next campaigns, not against each other but in brand new congressional districts.
"Yeah, I'm focused on both," Saccone told KDKA political editor Jon Delano on Thursday. "I want to win the one I'm in, but I also have to prepare to win the one in November anyway."
Saccone has not conceded the 18th District election to Lamb.
"We're still going through the process. It's not over yet. We just want to make sure every vote is counted," Saccone said.
But Saccone is now circulating petitions to run in the new 14th District that includes Washington, Greene, and parts of Westmoreland, most of which were in the old 18th District and are counties won by Saccone.
"All these people know me. I'm around here all the time. This is the district I grew up and served in the legislature. So I'm happy to be here and people are happy to circulate petitions for me," he said.
KDKA caught up to Saccone at Anthony's Sporting Goods, a gun shop in Somerset Township, Washington County.
If you live in Washington, Westmoreland, or Greene counties, Saccone says, just keep those signs up for him.
He's running in the new 14th District for Congress in the May Republican primary and, if he wins the nomination, again in the November general election.
The good news for Saccone is that southern and western Allegheny county -- the only part of the old 18th District won by Lamb -- is no longer in the new 14th District.
But the bad news is that he may not be alone in the Republican primary.
Pennsylvania Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, of Jefferson Hills, and Washington County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan, of Nottingham Township, are circulating petitions in the 14th District, too.
As for Lamb, his hometown of Mt. Lebanon and most of western Allegheny County is now part of the new 17th District that includes Beaver County, the Quaker Valley, North Hills, Penn Hills, and Cranberry.
Most of that district is represented by Republican Congressman Keith Rothfus of Sewickley who intends to run for reelection in the new 17th District.
Lamb is already circulating petitions to run for Congress in the 17th District, but so are some more liberal Democrats, including Aaron Anthony of Shaler, Ray Linsenmeyer of McCandless, Erin McClelland of Lower Burrell, and Beth Tarasi of Sewickley.
And here's something unusual.
It's possible that both Lamb and Saccone will end up in Congress next year.
