U.S. Senate hopeful Conor Lamb (D) visits Columbia Co.
U.S. Senate candidate Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) speaks to potential voters at the Columbia Co. Democrats Office on Main Street in Bloomsburg on April 9, 2022. Credit: Catherine Rose
*Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 10, 2022 and was updated the following day to reflect a correction that Congressman Lamb has been serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, not the Pa. House of Representatives, as originally erroneously reported, since 2018. The author apologizes for the mistake and thanks the commenter for pointing out the mistake.
Squeezing it in between several other stops for the day, the Democratic Pa. Congressman Conor Lamb stopped by the Columbia Co. Democrats Office for a meet and greet Saturday afternoon. Lamb is hoping to secure a spot on Pennsylvanians’ ticket for U.S. Senate in the upcoming primary election on May 17.
The current representative for the U.S. House is a Marines veteran and was formerly involved in law enforcement.
Lamb has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for the past four years, representing the 17th Congressional District. This year, Lamb tries to secure another term by running for re-election in the U.S. Senate race.
The U.S. Senate hopeful spoke to the dozens gathered inside the Main Street Democratic Office at Phillips Emporium in Bloomsburg for several minutes before opening the floor to a brief question and answer period. Lamb appeared calm and collected as he pleaded his case to be elected.
Lamb said the “stakes [are] so incredibly high” for the race, and that he is well-prepared for it. He told the audience he has voted in support of numerous bills, including the John Lewis Voting Act, which he voted for three times, and legislation to lower prescription drug prices, which he voted for three times, as well as his general support of Medicare, which he claims helps to lower prices for citizens across the board. According to him, the money saved by supporting Medicare can help to add vision, dental and hearing coverage to beneficiaries.
He says he has helped to “lower drug prices [and provide Medicare recipients with] glasses and hearing aids for free.”
Lamb’s opponents in the U.S. Senate race are John Fetterman, Malcolm Kenyatta and Alexandria Khalil, according to Ballotpedia. If he were to win the Democratic nomination, Lamb would face one of the following Republican candidates in the general election: Kathy Barnette, Jeff Bartos, George Bochetto, Sean Gale, David McCormick, Mehmet Oz or Carla Sands.
Lamb says he is the best option out of any of them.
Of his fellow Democratic candidates, Lamb said he decided to run because he “wasn’t confident that the other people in the race could win it,” and that he has an “excellent chance to hold [office in the U.S. Senate].”
Another reason Lamb cites for being the best-positioned to win the Democratic nomination is that he has already faced the obstacles all the candidates are facing—and has proven himself viable. He mentioned that Trump won his first district by 19 points in the 2016 election. Yet, Lamb still won the support of his constituents in the following election for the Pa. House.
“What sets me apart is I’ve been tested like that before,” comforts Lamb. “[My] opponents [have] never been head-to-head with a Republican like that before—and three times.”
To illustrate just how hard he had to push to win over voters with the public disapproval of then-President Trump, Lamb referenced negative political advertisements the Republicans aired against him during his last election. Trump coined the anti-Lamb campaign slogan as “Lamb the Sham” and personally visited people in Lamb’s district to encourage voting against him.
The first advertisement created to deter against Lamb featured Lamb’s face amid some sheep along with Nancy Pelosi’s (pictured above). To his favor, the anti-Lamb ad actually helped him gain name recognition, and “people thought it was cute.”
Lamb has raised about $6 million in donations since his campaign began. But, he says the money is “necessary but not sufficient.” What people want is reassurance their needs will be met by whichever candidate is elected.
Exuding his confidence, Lamb ended his speech with a promise: “I can give you a campaign you deserve, which is one with a win.”
