'You need to be scared': GOP lawmakers warned to start panicking about a 2018 'Blue Wave'

Rep. Conor Lamb's (D-PA) victory over Republican rival Rick Saccone has set off a fresh wave of panic among GOP lawmakers.

Politico reports that Republican leadership is sounding alarms about incumbents who are raising less money than Democratic rivals -- and they are trying desperately to whip them out of complacency.

 "If you’re getting outraised or if you haven’t started your campaign yet, you need to be scared and start today,” Corry Bliss, the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, tells Politico. "Saying 'I've never lost before, therefore I can never lose this time' is not a campaign plan."

In the final quarter of 2017, more than 40 GOP incumbents found themselves getting outraised by Democratic challengers, which has Republican leadership fearful of getting swamped this fall.

“Many of our members have not been in Congress during a possible ‘wave’ election cycle, as happened in 2006 and 2010,” a Republican campaign staffer says. "Members in Republican-leaning districts should heed the warnings from House leadership and get ready for a fight."

According to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats have an average eight-point lead over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, while President Donald Trump's approval rating sits in the 40 percent range.