MT. LEBANON, Pa. — One day after Rep. Joe Kennedy III delighted progressives with his delivery of the Democratic rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union address last week he campaigned for Conor Lamb, the suburban Pittsburgh Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.

He also ghosted members of the local and national media and some Lamb supporters in suburban Pittsburgh by slipping in and out of the state without any notice — despite requests from the press to the campaign to know if any events were on the calendar, Lamb kept Kennedy’s appearance under wraps until he left the state.

In fact, the only reason anyone knew Kennedy was here was Lamb’s tweet after the Massachusetts congressman left, which read, “Working hard & having fun every day in #PA18. 40 days to go. Thanks again to @joekennedy for coming here to be a part of it.”

It was a move that left not just the media, but potential voters baffled. “I would have loved to have seen Kennedy and got to know more about Lamb,” said one Mt. Lebanon Democrat, who was clearly disappointed she knew nothing about it.

NPR congressional reporter Scott Detrow used Twitter to showcase his confusion with the campaign’s slippery maneuvers. “Interestingly the Lamb campaign told me they had no events on the schedule today.”

Lamb’s campaign, meanwhile, sees a path forward to victory by avoiding national attention and winning on a grassroots level. The Allegheny County portion of the district is blanketed with Conor Lamb signs, in particular Mt. Lebanon, where Lamb and his large extended family lives.

Read the full piece HERE.