Rick Saccone (above), a state representative, is facing off against attorney Conor Lamb. | Marc Levy/AP Photo Pro-House GOP super PAC to spend $1.5M to save Pennsylvania House seat

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, is prepping a $1.5 million TV campaign to save a vacant southwestern Pennsylvania seat.

The advertising campaign will begin on Friday and continue through the March 13 special election, according to a party strategist briefed on the plans. The super PAC has already begun a field deployment effort in the district.


The TV blitz is part of a broader Republican effort to keep Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District seat, from which GOP Rep. Tim Murphy recently resigned following allegations that he had asked a woman with whom he was having an affair to have an abortion. President Donald Trump won the district by 20 points in 2016, and a loss would be widely seen as a major blow for the party.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trump traveled to the Pittsburgh area last week to appear with Republican candidate Rick Saccone, and Vice President Mike Pence is slated to hold an event with him on Feb. 2. Trump and Pence may make multiple stops in the district.

Saccone, a state representative, is facing off against attorney Conor Lamb.

Aside from the CLF, several other conservative groups, including Ending Spending and 45Committee, are advertising on Saccone’s behalf.