Democrats, Republicans Prioritize Open Suburban Pittsburgh Congressional Seat
A U.S. House seat is up for grabs in Pennsylvania after Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat, left to run for U.S. Senate in a race he ultimately lost to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in the Democratic primary.
Attorney and Iraq War veteran Chris Deluzio is determined to keep the 17th Congressional District “blue” while former local township commissioner Jeremy Shaffer is the candidate Republicans hope will prevail and allow the party to flip the seat.
If Republicans achieve a net gain of five seats in the 435-seat chamber this November, they would recapture the majority they lost in 2018.
Both candidates decisively won their respective primaries.
Jeremy Shaffer is running against Chris Deluzio in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District general election. (Courtesy of Jeremy Shaffer for Congress)
Deluzio defeated Sean Meloy by almost 27 percentage points, while Shaffer received 58.7 percent of the vote compared to 24.3 percent for Jason Killmeyer and 17 percent for Kathleen Coder.
Shaffer was added to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) “Young Guns” program, which is led by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and provides candidates with “the tools they need” to win.
Deluzio is part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program, which provides candidates considered “top-tier” with organizational and fundraising support.
The NRCC has booked around $3 million in advertising spots to support Shaffer. The DCCC has pledged $1.4 million in advertisements. Other committees related to both parties have indicated they will pour millions of dollars into the race.
The 17th district is located in western Pennsylvania and includes Beaver County and a broad portion of Allegheny County in suburban Pittsburgh. Redistricting has made it friendlier to Democrats.
The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the race as a toss-up. Inside Elections calls the district “Tilt Democratic,” while FiveThirtyEight
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