Former Army Ranger Sean Parnell will challenge Conor Lamb for congressional seat

Murrysville native and former Army Ranger Sean Parnell announced Wednesday that he will challenge U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, in 2020 for the 17th Congressional District seat.

“I think that Pennsylvanians, and specifically the people of Western Pennsylvania, deserve leadership that truly represents them,” Parnell said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends,” the Fox News morning show. “And right now, my opponent does not represent them at all.”

Parnell was not available for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Lamb, a former Marine Corps officer and federal prosecutor, has campaigned as a moderate Democrat.

He beat Republican Rick Saccone in a 2018 special election to replace Republican Rep. Tim Murphy in the 18th Congressional District.

After congressional district lines were redrawn, Lamb went on to secure his first full term in Congress in November 2018 by beating incumbent Republican Keith Rothfus for the 17th Congressional District seat.

The recently redrawn district includes Beaver County, part of Cranberry in Butler County and about half of Allegheny County, including most of the Alle-Kiski Valley and other suburbs north, west and south of Pittsburgh.

Parnell addressed questions about his residency on Twitter, explaining that he lives in Cranberry Township, about two miles outside the 17th Congressional District lines.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives must live in the state that they represent but are not required to live within the district they represent.

The announcement comes a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Parnell to unseat Lamb while speaking at the Oct. 23 oil and gas industry conference in Pittsburgh.

Parnell is scheduled to appear at the Republican Committee of Allegheny County fall reception Wednesday evening.

“We’re very excited, we think he’s an outstanding candidate,” said Republican Committee of Allegheny County chairman Sam DeMarco III, who serves on Allegheny County Council as an at-large member. “What’s not to like? He’s an American hero.”

Parnell served as an Army Ranger on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, retiring as a captain following a 2006 deployment, according to his campaign website. His 2012 memoir, “Outlaw Platoon,” details the experience. He is also the author of two military thrillers.

DeMarco said that he cannot endorse a candidate as chairman of the committee and noted that there are other people who have expressed interest in the seat, but added that he is enthusiastic to have Parnell as a candidate.

“Somebody that can relate to the average guy, to what the average family is going through,” DeMarco said of Parnell. “Conor Lamb will present a considerable challenge, but I think Sean Parnell is certainly up to it.”