U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (R-Pennsylvania) dropped his re-election bid on Thursday, giving way to GOP challenger Dave McCormick, ending one of the hottest and most costly Senate races this cycle and the end of the Scranton race. in the Senate.
“I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. Once the first vote count is complete, Pennsylvanians will be able to move forward knowing their voices were heard, whether their vote was counted first or last,” Casey said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “This race was one of the fiercest in the history of our Republic and was decided by less than a quarter of a point. I am grateful to the thousands of people who worked to ensure that every eligible vote cast could be counted, including election officials in all 67 counties.”
The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on November 7, but Casey refused to step downciting the vast number of ballots that still need to be counted at this time.
Because the vote margin between McCormick and Casey was less than 0.5%, it triggered an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt estimated the cost of the recount would be more than $1 million. But as the county numbers started coming in, it didn’t seem like Casey would get enough votes to clear McCormick into the lead.
Casey still on Thursday evening he overtook McCormick by a majority of 16,349 votes, According to Pennsylvania Department of State. A DOS spokesman said overdue Thursday that the department is reviewing current law and will provide an update Friday on what will happen next after the recount.
AP is calling the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania for Dave McCormick, but Bob Casey is not budging
In 13 districts, at least 20 lawsuits were filed by candidates and their parties, challenging the decision of election commissions to handle absentee and provisional ballots that were found to be irregular. Most of them were still pending when Casey pleaded guilty Thursday night.
Although the Casey campaign scored a victory when a Philadelphia judge rejected McCormick’s attempt to exclude 966 provisional ballots with missing election workers’ signatures, the court also rejected Democrats’ proposal to count more than 2,000 ballots without a voter’s signature or secrecy envelope. The six resolved cases resulted in a net loss of approximately 60 votes to Casey.
In a statement Thursday, McCormick thanked Casey for his years of service to the Commonwealth.
“Senator Bob Casey has dedicated his career to improving our community. Dina and I want to express our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Teresa and their family for their decades of service, hard work and personal sacrifice,” McCormick said. “I am honored to represent every Pennsylvanian in the United States Senate and I will fight for you every day. Thank you.”
In his statement Thursday, Casey thanked those who voted for him and his campaign staff.
“When Pennsylvanians take the time to cast a legal vote, often standing in long lines, and sacrificing time for work and family, they deserve to know that their vote will count. That’s what democracy is all about,” Casey said. “I am proud of the work we have done since Election Day to empower voters across the state – no matter who they voted for – and ensure the democratic process advances. In just a few days, we built an organization of 350 employees across the state, joined by over a thousand volunteers, who helped over 6,000 Pennsylvania voters develop a plan to fix minor problems with their ballots so their votes would be counted.”
This election campaign saw McCormick participate in a recount for the second time while running for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He lost the 2022 Republican primary to Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. Oz received the endorsement of Donald Trump, but ultimately lost in the general election to John Fetterman.
This time, however, McCormick was better prepared. Even before he officially announced his candidacy, he had the support of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a super PAC financed largely by billionaire Charles Koch. Unlike 2022, McCormick was the only Republican on the primary ballot in April.
McCormick waited until former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley withdrew from the race to endorse Trump. Haley, who has never campaigned for Trump in 2024, took aim at McCormick in Pennsylvania in the final week before the election.
Trump formally endorsed McCormick’s campaign during a rally in the Lehigh Valley on April 13 – Casey’s birthday – calling the GOP challenger a “good man” who “wants to run a good ship.” He’s a shrewd guy who’s been incredibly successful.”
After endorsing Trump, McCormick became a ubiquitous presence during the president-elect’s campaign visits to Pennsylvania. This included, among others: rally in Butler on July 13, during which Trump was injured in the attack.
McCormick’s main line of attack on Casey was that the incumbent was “weak” and almost always voted for President Joe Biden’s agenda. After Biden’s disastrous performance in the June debate against Trump, some Democrats publicly called on the president not to run for a second term, but Casey didn’t join in on these conversations.
Casey and Biden, both of whom were born in Scranton, had a close relationship, with the president often calling him “Bobby,” including during his State of the Union address in March. Biden highlighted Casey’s efforts against “greedflation,” or corporate price gouging, which was a focus of Casey’s early days of the campaign.
Before the general election, Casey and McCormick debated twice, arguing about abortion, immigration and the economy. Casey and Pennsylvania Democrats questioned McCormick’s residency and whether he actually lived in Pennsylvania, and also criticized McCormick’s previous role as CEO of the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.
Casey is the longest-serving Democratic senator in Pennsylvania history. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006, defeating incumbent Republican Rick Santorum. Son of former Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey Sr. Casey became dean of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation after serving as Pennsylvania’s auditor general from 1997 to 2005 and treasurer from 2005 to 2007. In 2002, he launched an unsuccessful bid for governor. , but lost in the primary to then-Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell.
Casey serves as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Aging, where, among other things, he advocated for issues such as Social Security and noticed frauds targeting seniors.
With Casey’s loss, Republicans have taken every statewide office in Pennsylvania in 2024. This is the first time in the 21st century that the GOP won the presidency and every office in Pennsylvania in the same year.
Pennsylvania Junior Senator John Fetterman praised Casey in a statement Thursday, saying that “having Bob Casey as a colleague, friend and mentor” is “the highest honor.” When Fetterman was hospitalized for depression shortly after taking office in 2023, he expressed appreciation to Casey and his staff for providing guidance and support.
“Humble, with AP for nearly two decades, he fought on behalf of working Pennsylvanians and unions, rural communities, seniors and people with disabilities – all of us,” Fetterman added. “Bob Casey was, is and always will be Pennsylvania’s best senator.”
Capital-Star’s Peter Hall contributed
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