Bob Casey gets an assist from Cory Booker during a campaign stop in North Philly

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey received support Thursday in his tough re-election fight from his Senate colleague, Corey Booker, a New Jersey Democrat who crossed the river to support Casey at an event in North Philadelphia aimed at engaging black voters.

Although recent polls have shown Casey holding a significant lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick, the Democratic incumbent said he expects the race to tighten as Election Day approaches.

“Our race is going to be very, very close. It’s probably going to be a one-point race,” said Casey, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate. “And we need to make sure people know the differences between us.”

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The race in Pennsylvania could decide control of the Senate next year. Democrats and the independents who serve with them on the committee currently hold a one-seat majority.

Booker said he was “Jersey envious” of the Pennsylvania electorate, which once again made the Keystone State the center of the political universe in a presidential year.

“I’m a Jersey boy,” Booker said. “I live across the river. But I’m jealous of all of you here in Pennsylvania because we don’t have a competitive Senate race right now and we’re definitely not the most important state — the most swing state of all — like all of you.”

Casey and Booker spoke to a crowd of about 60 people at Prince of Peace Baptist Church in Strawberry Mansion, where they were introduced by Bishop J. Louis Felton, pastor of Mount Airy Church of God in Christ and president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity.

The senator will be counting on powerful support from majority-black Philadelphia to lend a hand him keep his seat in November.

“The people of this town have been very good to me, every time,” Casey said.

Casey said electing McCormick would allow the GOP to take control of the Senate and implement policies that would undermine “voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights.”

“Rights have never been more important in elections,” Casey said.

McCormick spokesman Nate Sizemore said Casey posed a threat because he would be a “rubber stamp” on the agenda of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“Their radical liberal views — from open borders to defunding the police, stripping Americans of private health insurance and destroying energy jobs by banning fracking — are fundamentally at odds with the needs of Pennsylvanians,” Sizemore said in a statement.

Harris supported Medicare for All and a ban on fracking as a 2019 presidential candidate. The issue of fracking is politically thorny in Pennsylvania, and Harris’ campaign has said in recent weeks that she does not support a ban.

Asked Thursday whether a Harris presidency could threaten jobs in Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry, Casey dismissed the suggestion.

“It’s clear to me that she’s taking a position that would ensure that we don’t have a ban on fracking, as some in Congress have proposed, which I have always opposed and will continue to oppose,” Casey said.

Casey, a silent, mild-mannered man, and Booker, a former college football player and charismatic speaker, have very different styles. Booker said Casey’s affability is needed in the Senate.

“Nobody has a better reputation in the Senate than bipartisanship,” said Booker, whose speech had a powerful religious tone. “Blessed are the peacemakers — and he is one of them.”

Casey spoke about his work as a teacher and basketball coach at Gesu School in North Philadelphia and said he has experience helping city residents, such as voting in favor of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, which included funding for the Philadelphia school district, and helping secure money to reopen shuttered fire stations in the city.

“When I say I’ve done my part, I think I can prove it, and I think that’s what you have to do when you’re a candidate for re-election,” Casey said.