Will Fetterman Silence Lamb in Pennsylvania Senate Face-Off?

On paper, Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb appears lab-engineered to win in a purple state.

A retired Marine who prosecuted sexual misconduct cases as an attorney, Lamb has spent two terms terms in Congress establishing a reputation as a moderate Democrat who found a way to win races in “Trump Country”—including in a House district that favored Republicans by double digits.

But six months after his August announcement, Lamb’s Senate bid in Pennsylvania is not going according to plan.

Lagging in the polls and falling behind in fundraising, Lamb was left off a list of local politicians who assembled to greet President Joe Biden when he visited Philadelphia earlier this month.

To make matters worse, a poll recently commissioned by Lamb’s own super PAC showed his main Democratic opponent—John Fetterman—not just beating him in a primary where the more liberal candidate often has more traction; polling showed Fetterman as the better candidate in a general election, against potential GOP nominees like Dr. Mehmet Oz.

And Lamb’s super PAC didn’t just see Fetterman with a small edge. What it saw, according to Politico, was Lamb trailing Fetterman by 30 points. Barring a miraculous turn of events, that kind of lead would almost be insurmountable.