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Vice President Pence visits Pittsburgh

Vice President Mike Pence visited Pittsburgh on Friday, another example of the significance of a March special election for a local congressional seat.

The election to fill former Rep. Tim Murphy's 18th District seat is six weeks away, on March 13, and its importance is being felt from Pittsburgh to the nation’s capital.

Pence held a fundraiser for Republican candidate Rick Saccone at the Bethel Park Community Center.

“I just think it's going to cause a lot of commotion,” said Castle Shannon residents Judy Greathouse. “Everyone is going to want to see him.”

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The visit comes just two weeks after President Donald Trump spoke in Coraopolis, announcing his support for Saccone's campaign.

Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb are running for the open congressional seat that Murphy resigned in October.

Residents said they're surprised by the high-profile visits.

"I think they like Pittsburgh, that's encouraging," said South Park resident Linda Reid. "I think that's good news for us."

Others say the fundraiser will be too rich for their blood.

“Tell him I said, ‘Hi, lots of luck,’ and I'll say a prayer,” said South Park resident Jerry Reid. “But I'm not giving him no money because I'm poor!”

The Democrats believe that they have a good shot with Conor Lamb, but big news today was about the controversial release of this classified document that the president wanted to release but the FBI and the justice department did not.

Pence told Channel 11 that he's read the memo and he believes the American people need to know the truth.

"Let me just say, I had a chance to see the memo. Our administration believes the memo raises serious concerns about the integrity of decisions made at the highest level of the Department of Justice and the FBI," Pence said.

On the opioid epidemic that’s hit Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, Pence said, "President Trump believes it all begins with getting tougher on people who profit by selling rigs to our kids and families."

Pence also  pushed his party's tax cuts, which are starting to show up in people's paychecks.

Lamb's campaign tells Channel 11 that the visits from Trump and Pence don't change the Democratic candidate's message.

 

Cox Media Group

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