Memo · News · Press Release

The Case Against Keith Rothfus

“As a veteran and former federal prosecutor, Congressman Conor Lamb proved last March that his values of service, hard work and toughness resonate deeply in this community. Just as important, Congressman Lamb knows how to win tough races. Lamb draws a sharp contrast with Congressman Rothfus, who has supported an agenda that helps rich people and big corporations, and whose anti-worker policies are deeply out of touch with this community. It’s been an honor to serve with Congressman Lamb, and I look forward to serving with him for years to come.” –DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján

To: Interested Parties

From: Evan Lukaske, DCCC regional press secretary

Date: May 15, 2018

Re: The Case Against Keith Rothfus

The general election for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District is set and finds Democrats in an excellent position for the fall. The race pits veteran and former federal prosecutor Congressman Conor Lamb against right-wing extremist and proud former Freedom Caucus member, Congressman Keith Rothfus.

Lamb’s record of service and bipartisan values will contrast starkly with Rothfus’ right-wing record, which is deeply out-of-step with this moderate, highly-educated district. Due to Congressman Lamb’s strong name recognition, fundraising prowess, and unprecedented grassroots energy, he is well positioned to follow his impressive special election victory with another big win in November.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“While incumbency usually is an asset, it’s likely to be a challenge for Rothfus, according to David Wasserman, who handicaps congressional races for Cook Political Report. ‘He’s going to have to point to a record of accomplishment in Congress at a time when Congress is very unpopular,’ Wasserman said.” [WESA, 4/13/18]

“While [former Rep. Jason Altmire] predicted a tough battle between Rothfus and Lamb, he thinks Lamb is the kind of Democrat who can rally support from social conservatives in his party. ‘If you can give them a Democrat that’s a good fit for the district − that matches on those cultural issues − they’re more than willing to vote Democrat,’ Altmire said.” [WESA, 4/13/18]

“Mr. Lamb, a former Marine and prosecutor, is running his second race of the year, this time in a new district against an incumbent, Representative Keith Rothfus, a Republican who was once paired by a political blog in a celebrity look-alike feature with the cartoon character Milhouse. The new district, the 17th, is more evenly balanced in its partisan leanings than the former 18th District, where Mr. Lamb won his upset victory in part by reawakening dormant Democratic DNA in white working-class voters who had supported Mr. Trump. Mr. Rothfus, by contrast, is ‘several clicks to the right’ of his new district, according to one Republican official.” [New York Times, 3/30/18]

“Fresh off his victory in last month’s high-profile special election, Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb has $1.6 million in available cash while Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus has $1.5 million as the two prepare for a November showdown for the new 17th Congressional District seat.” [Beaver County Times, 4/18/18]

KEITH ROTHFUS: RIGHT WING EXTREMIST

Tax Scammer

Rothfus’ vote for the GOP Tax Scam, a massive giveaway to big corporations and the rich, will be an anchor on his candidacy. Since the Tax Scam’s debut and subsequent passage, it remains a deeply unpopular piece of legislation. Last month, a WSJ/NBC News poll found the tax plan underwater. Ominously, just more than half of Republicans polled thought the plan was a good idea.

On the trail, Rothfus will have to explain to voters why 83% of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest one percent, why big corporations deserve larger tax cuts than middle-class families, why companies that have announced nearly $400 billion in stock buybacks are simultaneously laying off workers, and why he voted to blow a $1.9 trillion hole in the deficit. Speaker Ryan may be retiring, but not before making a clear, problematic declaration that Republicans like McCauley will have to address: they intend to use the deficit hole to slash Medicare and Social Security.

Significantly, the tax bill also gutted the Affordable Care Act and the nonpartisan CBO found that it will increase health care premiums in a state that just experienced a 30% spike last year.

Voted to Repeal Health Care

Fitting for a right-wing extremist, Rothfus voted for the deeply unpopular Republican health care repeal bill, which would have gutted pre-existing condition protections, imposed an age tax, increased deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, and done nothing to lower the price of prescription drugs. Had the bill passed, Rothfus’ vote would have resulted in nearly 36,000 of his constituents losing their health care coverage.

And while the repeal bill was ultimately rejected by the Senate and did not pass into law, the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance directly cited Congressional sabotage of the health care system for a whopping 30.6% increase in health care premiums.

On the Fringe of the Republican Party

Government shutdowns are where Rothfus really makes his mark. In 2013, Rothfus voted for an extreme bill designed to trigger a government shutdown, and then voted weeks later against a bill to end that shutdown, even though it had cost the U.S. economy $24 billion in lost output.

In February and March 2018, Rothfus twice voted against funding the government, putting him at odds with the vast majority of the Republican conference. In voting to shut down the government, Rothfus again endorsed both playing chicken with the full faith and credit of the American government, and causing devastating economic harm to his constituents.

A former member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, Rothfus did not leave for ideological reasons, making clear that his “conservative ideology still matches the Freedom Caucus.’” Rather, Rothfus needed more time to focus on shilling for big banks and corporations on the Financial Services Committee.

An Anti-Worker Shill For Big Banks And Corporations

It’s not just the tax scam and the health care repeal bill – Rothfus has consistently pursued an anti-worker agenda, which hurts the exact people who voted to send him to Washington. Over the course of his career, he has voted to undermine overtime pay and prevent American workers from earning paid sick leave; to decrease accountability for employers who fail to protect their employees from health and safety violations; and has voted against measures which would discourage outsourcing of jobs and encourage domestic manufacturing. Meanwhile, Rothfus has voted to undermine and roll back measures to protect consumers in the financial industry, which has bankrolled his political career.

THE PATH TO VICTORY

Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District underwent a dramatic transformation due to the new, fair Pennsylvania Congressional map. The new district incorporates significantly more of suburban Pittsburgh and lost broad swaths of rural southwest Pennsylvania. The district is now more than 50% suburban, and the number of constituents with a college degree is 33% higher than the state average.

Past Democratic performance is instructive. While Trump carried the old district by 21 points, he only narrowly won the new district, carrying it by a mere 3 points. Obama nearly won the district in both 2012 and 2008, earning 48% and 49%, respectively. Most significantly, Senator Bob Casey, who will lead the ticket, won the district in 2012 and Governor Tom Wolf carried the district in his 2014 race.

Democratic candidate Congressman Conor Lamb, known for his upset victory in the Pennsylvania 18th Special Election, in which he won a district that President Trump had won by a whopping 20 points. Lamb’s impressive profile as a veteran and former federal prosecutor will again serve him well, cutting across traditional party lines.

The special election also provided Lamb with several structural advantages not normally held by challengers. Thanks to the millions of dollars spent on Pittsburgh TV during the special election, and to the national attention garnered on the race, Lamb enjoys strong name recognition in the Pittsburgh area. Notably, a Monmouth poll taken the week before the election showed that not only was Lamb well known, but he was well liked: 53% of respondents had a favorable view of Lamb, compared to only 33% with an unfavorable view – all this despite over $10 million in spending against him by the GOP.

Furthermore, Lamb’s fundraising prowess ensures he’ll have the resources to win. Lamb has raised more than $6 million since becoming a candidate last fall and as of last month had more than $1.7 million cash on hand – nearly $200,000 more than Rothfus.





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