Democrat Conor Lamb, a former Marine, scored a slim, but extraordinary upset in a special House election in southwestern Pennsylvania last week.
Lamb’s victory is another hopeful sign for Democrats seeking to make gains in midterm elections in November.

In addition to the win in Pennsylvania, Democrats have also won recent key victories in Alabama, Virginia and New Jersey.

The contest between Lamb and Republican candidate, Rick Saccone was closely watched across the nation because it could set the stage for the 2018 midterm elections, which are typically referendums on the president.
The special election was held because the Republican who represented the district since the 2002 election, Tim Murphy resigned in October amid a personal scandal.
Saccone promised he’d help the president carry out his agenda. In addition to the president, Vice President Pence and Donald Trump Jr. all appeared on Saccone’s behalf.
Despite Trump’s last ditch effort to help Saccone, they were both losers last Tuesday.
Lamb’s win will probably embolden Democrats to run in Republican dominated areas.
The Pennsylvania House race suggests almost no Republican candidate is safe.
According to reports, House Speaker Paul Ryan privately warned Republican lawmakers that the election should serve as a “wake-up call” as the party tries to defend its majorities in Congress this fall.
“Obviously, this is a very tough environment for Republicans,” said Courtney Alexander, a spokeswoman for the Ryan-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund, which supports GOP candidates for the House. “Now more than ever, candidates and campaigns matter.”
Democrats have reason to be optimistic ahead of the November 2018 midterms.
However, Democrats should carefully look at how they won recent elections.

Democrats and a growing number of suburban Republicans, especially women, are growing weary of Trump’s erratic management style.
But Democrats cannot count on voters just being upset with Trump. They are winning in Republican areas with more centrist candidates.
Consider Lamb, the 33-year-old former prosecutor with centrist views — support of gun owner rights and distancing himself from national Democrats including refusing to back Nancy Pelosi as House floor leader. Lamb said he was personally against abortion while recognizing women having the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy.
Lamb also criticized the Republican tax cuts as too much of a benefit to the wealthy while shortchanging the middle class. He also opposed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Recent elections show that progressive candidates such as Philadelphia’s new District Attorney Larry Krasner can win in predominately Democratic-controlled areas where voters are seeking major reforms.
But there are serious questions on whether progressive candidates could survive general elections against Republican rivals in areas that are not liberal.
Democrats have achieved stunning upsets in Trump strongholds on southwestern Pennsylvania and Alabama by running candidates with centrist’s views.
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