Poll: Republican Sean Parnell and Democrat Conor Lamb Deadlocked in PA

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Republican candidate Sean Parnell have struck a deadlock in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, according to a poll released Friday.

Lamb leads Parnell by only one percent or 45 to 44 percent in the pivotal swing district for control of the House of Representatives. This marks a substantial rise in support for Parnell. On Message, Inc., conducted the poll on behalf of the Parnell campaign.

In March, Lamb had 54 percent support, compared to Parnell’s 36 percent support. In July, Lamb had 50 percent support to Parnell’s 41 percent. This marks an eight percent increase in support for Parnell in the 17th Congressional District.

Ian Prior, a Parnell spokesman, said in a statement on Friday that Pennsylvanians are increasingly backing Parnell as they find out about Lamb’s “broken promises.”

He said:

As we move into the fall, Sean Parnell is surging at the same time that Conor Lamb is fading. Parnell’s record of leadership and his distinguished record of service to his country is winning over voters at the same time that they are souring on Conor Lamb’s broken promises and his sell out to Washington’s liberals. This race is Sean’s to win and that is exactly what he is going to do on November 3.

The internal poll’s release follows a Breitbart News report that found that CNN anchor Jake Tapper reportedly attempted to convince Parnell to run in another congressional district, which would mean that incumbent Democrat Lamb would not face as serious a GOP challenger as Parnell.

Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District represents one of the 30 congressional districts President Donald Trump won in 2016 that a Democrat currently represents. House Republicans need to flip just a net 17 seats to regain the House majority and take away Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) speaker’s gavel.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.