Here’s the Pennsylvania District Republicans Are Panicked About

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Perhaps you’ve heard that Republicans are in a panic over the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th district. In a nutshell, here’s why:

The 18th is a strong Republican district, one that Donald Trump won by 19 points. Even a centrist Democrat shouldn’t have much of a chance. But Conor Lamb has been steadily gaining ground since the start of the year, despite Republicans outspending Democrats by $9 million to $1 million.

Also: this is one of those gerrymandered districts that a judge tossed out a couple of weeks ago. Under the new map, neither candidate will live in the new 18th district, which means that winning this election has no real long-term effect.

The election is next Tuesday. Stay tuned.