Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District will be a battleground in the 2022 midterm elections, according to a recent poll from the Coalition to Protect American Workers, regardless of if Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), the current representative, runs for the Senate.
Lamb makes the district an intense battleground race by leaving the seat wide open since there is very close polling for a generic Republican and a generic Democrat. Former top Trump administration staffers lead the coalition that initiated the survey.
Their goal is to mobilize opposition to the Biden administration’s tax and infrastructure plans by telling politicians in “Washington to get America back on track and oppose tax hikes on American Workers” and stop putting roadblocks on American workers.
Marc Short, when speaking to reporters about this poll, said the coalition is in the middle of finding the best messaging that will get the most attention from voters when talking about President Joe Biden’s tax increase.
The polls show the district to be split almost evenly down the middle when the respondents were asked whether, in the next election for Congress, they would vote for a generic Republican candidate or the generic Democrat candidate.
Forty percent said they would be voting for the generic Republican, while 41 percent said they would be voting for the generic Democrat. Though, 19 percent said they are undecided as of now. The undecided number shows the district could be moved either way since a generic Democrat only has one point advantage. The question did not ask specifically for a named member, but rather a generic party with no name attached.
The polls also show Lamb in the district to be in hot water, netting 9 percent on his image. When Republicans were asked, he had a net -64 percent, with independent respondents giving him a net negative one. Lamb is only popular within his own party where he nets 88 percent.
Last month, Politico reported Lamb, being in a vulnerable district, has already started calling his donor list asking his donors and supporters if he should enter the Pennsylvania Senate race, allegedly saying he will start to ramp up his fundraising and have a formal launch when the time comes. He is looking to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (PA).
This 1892 poll asked 400 likely 2022 midterm voters in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. The respondents were contacted by a combination of either cell phones or landlines. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.9 percentage points.