PHILADELPHIA- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) crossed the Delaware River on Thursday to participate in a one-day campaign event for his swing-state running mate, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania).
Speaking around noon to an audience of several dozen people at Prince of Peace Baptist Church, Booker said he was glad to spend the day with Casey but was especially cheerful to start the day at church. He described them both as “men of faith.”
“Look at the work he does,” Booker said. “You know he makes a difference in our communities.”
Booker praised the work Casey, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate, has done over the years on issues such as the child tax credit, health care and the ABLE Act. He later added that he was “jealous of Jersey” that his state did not have a competitive Senate race and was not “the most swing state of all” like Pennsylvania.
Booker, New Jersey’s first black senator, said Thursday it’s clear what Democrats need to win, both in Casey’s Senate race and in Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.
“What you do in this community, and I dare say what we do in the African-American community, will determine how this election goes,” Booker said. “Not only for the Senate, but for the presidency of the United States of America.”
At the beginning of this month, Casey’s campaign announced the formation of Black Leadership Advisory Council in his election campaign.
Casey, a Scranton native and Catholic, thanked the crowd for inviting him to speak. He delivered his usual speech, emphasizing the “fight for rights” in his race against GOP challenger Dave McCormick, peppering his remarks with a few religious references.
“A long time ago, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, St. Augustine said it quite well, ‘without justice, what are kingdoms but great bands of robbers,’ and when he said it, it may not have had as much political significance, but today I think it has even more significance because we have other political figures, other politicians who are robbing people of justice by their votes or by their failure to vote ‘yes’ when we are trying to advance the cause of justice,” Casey said.
Though Casey is a Scranton resident, he spoke about what Philadelphia means to him by reminiscing about the brief stint he spent as a fifth-grade teacher and eighth-grade basketball coach in North Philadelphia.
“The people of this town have been very good to me, time and time again,” Casey said. “They’ve helped me as a candidate, they’ve helped me as a public servant, they’ve helped me better understand what they’re dealing with every day, what their challenges are, what their families are dealing with, so I’ve been blessed by that.”
Throughout the campaign, McCormick linked Casey to the top of the Democratic ticket, criticizing the incumbent president for supporting “the most liberal candidate in US history”, while claiming that their economic policy “have raised the cost of living for Americans and hurt working families.”
After giving a talk at the church, Booker and Casey toured the recently opened Alan Horwitz “The Sixth Man” Middle in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia. Casey took several shots on the basketball court, hitting his first mid-range jump shots while playing horseplay with kids in the middle, before he lost consciousness.
In Casey’s three previous wins, he had amassed huge numbers in Philadelphia. In 2006Casey received 84 percent of the city’s vote, while then-Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum received just under 16 percent. 2012Casey won 86 percent of the vote, while his Republican opponent had just under 13 percent. During his last campaign in 2018Casey again received 86 percent of the vote in Philadelphia, while then-Republican Congressman Lou Barletta received 12 percent of the vote.
Despite being the largest and bluest city in the state, Keystone has its own Concerns Among Democrats as Voter Turnout Continues to Drop in the city over the past few election cycles. McCormick has made numerous appearances in the Philadelphia campaign throughout this cycle trying to win over voters, including a visit to the city with US Senator John Thune (R-SD) earlier this month.
Casey has also historically done well with black voters in his previous campaigns. In 2018, 91% of black voters cast ballots for Casey, according to NBC News Exit PollIn 2012, Casey received 91 percent of the state’s black vote, according to New York Times exit polland 90% of black voters chose him in 2006.
Casey also spent significant time promoting Harris’ candidacy during his speech, mentioning that he attended Harris and Walz’s first joint appearance in order to secure a ticket to the Philadelphia rally.
“I was in that audience,” Casey said. “I’ve never seen, maybe Barack Obama, but I couldn’t read the decibels of noise, but I’ve never seen a more enthusiastic crowd.”
Casey will attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, along with a gigantic group of Pennsylvania Democrats. McCormick attended the Republican National Convention last month. in Milwaukee and was the only candidate from Pennsylvania to speak during the four-day event.
