The Pittsburgh area attracted another high-profile surrogate Friday as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. visited Beaver County, where he exuded confidence that Republicans will sweep the national elections, belittled Democrats’ campaign strategy and downplayed the controversy over the 2020 election.

Johnson stopped at PGT Trucking in Hopewell Township with local Republican congressional candidate and state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine. Johnson met with supporters there and encouraged them to get out and vote for Republicans up and down the ticket.

Mercuri is running against incumbent Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall.

Johnson said he was confident Republicans will increase their majority in the House — which is locked in a tight race for control — and he pushed back on claims that issues like democracy and abortion were important in the upcoming election.

He said Democrats were using those issues as “red herrings,” claiming that Americans are more concerned about the economy, immigration and the Southern border, and ensuring that America is strong on the world stage and international conflicts.

“Democrats are trying to make the entire election about those things,” Johnson said, referring to abortion and the 2020 election. “And that is not what the American people care about.”

Former President Donald Trump has refused to accept the results of the election which President Joe Biden won. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also refused during the Oct. 1 debate against his rival, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to admit Trump lost.

The House, which Johnson leads, and the U.S. Senate are responsible for certifying the winner of the 2024 election.

Deluzio suggested that the media “keep asking Speaker Johnson who won the 2020 election. Watch him dance.”

“Mike Johnson is a guy who was an architect of Donald Trump’s attempt to overthrow the Constitution and the 2020 election, who voted against healthcare for my fellow toxic-exposed veterans, and who wrote the House Republican Study Committee report that calls for slashing Social Security. And this is a guy who’s tried to ban abortion nationwide,” Deluzio said in a statement.

“Those are not my values, they’re not Western Pennsylvania values, but they sure are Rob Mercuri’s, who regularly campaigns with extremist election deniers like Mike Johnson.”

Johnson said he has visited more than 240 cities in 40 states over the last 11 months and “the cost of living, the open border, and weakness on the world stage” is what is resonating with voters.

“No one wants to relitigate what happened in 2020,” Johnson said. “The abortion issue is a state issue now, it is being resolved on the state level. And these other things are just to distract people from those issues.”

What polls show

Recent polling from Gallup shows that Americans’ top issue is the economy, with 90% of voters saying it is extremely or very important. The second most important issue is democracy in the U.S., with 85% of voters saying it is extremely or very important.

Those issues are followed by terrorism and national security; the types of Supreme Court justices candidates would pick; and immigration.

Among national voters, abortion was the ninth most important issue, with 66% of voters saying it is extremely or very important, and 33% saying it was somewhat or not important.

In Pennsylvania, voters appear to value abortion more highly. A Spotlight PA poll said it was the fifth most important issue among likely Pennsylvania voters, with 49% saying it was a top issue.

Jobs, wages and the economy was the top issue among Pennsylvanians, followed by the future of democracy and immigration policy.

Mercuri vs. Deluzio

Johnson said Mercuri is an ideal messenger for Republican priorities.

“I am appealing to everybody in this district because what I want is a resurgence of jobs, safe communities and a closed border with Mexico,” Mercuri said.

Mercuri is running in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Beaver County, as well as suburban communities in Allegheny County’s North Hills, Allegheny Valley and several boroughs just east of Pittsburgh.

The race between him and Deluzio has gotten little attention so far. There has been virtually no public polling in the swing district. National Republicans have placed Pennsylvania’s 17th District on their list of target districts to flip in 2024. They purchased some ads in September to boost Mercuri.

One Democratic-sponsored poll taken in mid-September from Change Research showed Deluzio with a 4-point lead over Mercuri.

Deluzio’s campaign has outraised Mercuri by $2 million and has spent nearly four times as much on the race.

In late August, campaign analysts at Inside Elections moved the 17th District race from Lean Democratic to Likely Democratic due to the polling edge and the funding gap.

Johnson said Republicans have recently invested more in the district and voters should expect additional ads highlighting Mercuri and his record.

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