Karen Shuey: Conor Lamb brings his U.S. Senate campaign to Berks

May 5—Bouncing from table to table inside Wyomissing Family Restaurant & Bakery Thursday morning, Conor Lamb seemed at ease.

Wearing jeans and a white dress shirt, the Allegheny County Democrat didn't shy away from the questions being fired at him. Facing the breakfast-eating fire squad wasn't anything new for Lamb. It's something he knows comes with the territory when you're running for office.

And he knows all about running for office.

Lamb, who will appear on the upcoming primary election ballot as a Democratic vying for the nomination to the U.S. Senate, says he knows something about winning. He has bested Republican candidates three times in a congressional district carried by Donald Trump.

That, he told the crowd of about 50 gathered Thursday, is why he should be the Democratic nominee to fight for the open Senate seat this fall.

"I think the one thing I can offer is my experience," he said. "I know who we are talking to the day after the primary election. There is nothing new to me about talking to a swing voter to try to bring them into our camp."

Lamb is among a handful of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. And the wide-open race for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey could end up being the most expensive race in the history of the chamber and could determine control of the Senate.

The campaign event at the Wyomissing restaurant was organized by state Rep. Mark Rozzi and state Sen. Judy Schwank, Democrats who represent parts of Berks County. They said Lamb has their endorsement in the contest.

"This guy right here believes in many of the same things that everyone in this room believes in like funding education, raising the minimum wage, ensuring reproductive rights, fighting for voting rights, combating climate change," Rozzi told the crowd. "But the most important thing is that we have a candidate who can win the general election so he can push those policies."

Lamb said there's no doubt in his mind this is the most politically charged campaign in the country.

"The reality is that we have a 50-50 split in the Senate, and it has been very difficult for Democrats to get things done," he said. "But then the draft opinion of the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade came out and I think everyone was woken up and reminded about what exactly is on the line here."

Lamb said the draft Supreme Court ruling is the end result of decades of organizing and cold calculations by Republicans to motivate their base in elections. To combat that, he said, Democrats need to spread the word that if people are feeling anxious and angry about the decision they need to come out and vote.

He told the crowd that he can be counted on to fight if elected to the Senate, noting he was a primary supporter of the Women's Health Protection Act in Congress that sought to protect a person's ability to end a pregnancy and protect health care providers who provide abortions.

He then turned to what is perhaps the biggest issue he has been hearing about on the campaign trail: rising consumer costs.

Lamb touted his support for a number of practical solutions he said would help all Pennsylvanians struggling with high inflation. Those proposals include:

—Removing the cap on income exposed to the payroll tax for Social Security, which allows people to pay nothing for income above $142,800. By applying the tax to the full income of the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share, Lamb said, the fund's long-term fiscal stability should be guaranteed.

—Granting Medicare the authority to negotiate prices with drug companies directly.

—Capping child care expenses at 7% of household income for working families and bringing back a child tax credit.

While Lamb has a clear vision of what he would like to do if elected, polls show he is facing a bit of an uphill battle. A Franklin & Marshall College Poll released this week found that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is maintaining his frontrunner status over Lamb by a whopping margin of 39 percentage points.

Fetterman has support from 53% of Democrats who named a preference while Lamb stands at 14%. But the poll also found there is still hope for Lamb with 1 in 4 Democrats still undecided about their preference, and half of those who have a preference say they could change their mind about their choice.

Lamb said many voters are still getting to know him. And he's confident if they take the time to look at his history and experience, they will like what they find.

"Some of the things about my background and the choices I've made in my life to be a U.S. Marine and a federal prosecutor have helped me appeal to the swing voters who decide a lot of these elections in the end," he said. "Many of these swing voters are not big liberals. And, unlike John, I'm always willing to show up and answer questions — that's how I do this job."

Meet the candidate

Candidate: Conor Lamb, 37, Allegheny County.

Position: U.S. Senator.

Current salary for position: $174,000.

Background: Lamb represents Pennsylvania's 17th District in Congress, which includes much of the Pittsburgh-area suburbs and all of Beaver County. He is a former Marine and federal prosecutor. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree and law degree.

Website: conorlamb.com