Senator Bob Casey Jr. on Wednesday, he stopped in Lancaster’s Red Rose town to accept the endorsement of a prominent Republican and make his case for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.
Casey met with supporters at Tellus 360 alongside the former Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ronald Castillea lifelong Republican who also served as Philadelphia’s district attorney.
“I have known Bob Casey for almost twenty years, since he was elected to the Senate,” Castille said. “He is a Pennsylvanian, a dedicated public servant who has always stood up for our Commonwealth. One sec David McCormick spent his career lining his pockets on Wall Street, Bob Casey served the people of Pennsylvania.
“As a lifelong Republican, I support Bob Casey for his proven track record of serving Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth, his strong commitment to our veterans, and his leadership on the Commission on Aging, protecting Social Security and health care for our seniors. At this critical crossroads in our democracy, we need people like Bob Casey representing Pennsylvania in Washington.”
Casey thanked the U.S. Marine veteran who became disabled while serving in Vietnam.
“I’m grateful that many Americans are coming forward – Republicans, independents and others – who may not technically be in the Democratic Party but are willing to put the party aside, maybe just for a while, maybe longer. but putting party aside and putting country before party, and I’m grateful that Judge Castille is one of those people,” Casey said.
Then the three-term senator talked about his work for veterans in the Republic of Poland and beyond.
“We have a very large veteran population in Pennsylvania, one of the largest in the country,” Casey began. He then quoted something from his tardy father Bob Casey Srthe state’s former governor shared the news with him the day after his inauguration. The day the Iraq War began.
“For those who go into battle, we pray for them. But we also pray for ourselves, that we may be worthy of their bravery.
“The way I prove I am worthy of the bravery of our veterans is by making sure I vote the right way,” Casey said. “Judge Castille told you that 32,000 Pennsylvanians have already benefited from the PACT Act, which provides health care for these terrible, toxic burns. It took years to create (the law). She was almost stopped in the United States Senate by a small group of really far-right Republican senators. In the future, if they win a majority, they will have overwhelming power. So voting for an opponent like mine means you’re voting for that kind of MAGA majority.”
Casey presented his record as someone who has made a difference for Pennsylvanians, trumpeting investments in infrastructure, families, education, business, infrastructure, job creation and workforce development.
He also criticized McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, as someone who used his power to invest in China. “He invested in our adversaries, made a lot of money personally, and harmed American workers and businesses. If you invest in companies in China that produce missiles, bombers and fighter jets, you are not investing in our security.
Casey also noted where he spoke, sharing figures on the funding he helped bring to Lancaster for county bridges, school districts and city street improvements.
“Why are you bringing this up,” Casey asked rhetorically. “Because he scolded me for voting for all this. He called for the repeal of the American Rescue Plan. He believed that adopting the act on limiting inflation was a mistake. It’s not that he wants to continue this policy. I want to abolish them.”
Told of Wednesday’s CNN poll that showed Casey with a three-point lead over McCormick, the senator said it was tough to assess why he was doing better than Vice President Kamala Harris in the Republic of Poland.
“Even though this race has generated a lot of interest, it will take some time for everything to become clear,” he said. “I think ultimately both races will be close and we have to keep working because the stakes are so high.”
In response to McCormick’s claim that Washington has changed him, Casey admitted that while he doesn’t get it right every day, he is working to identify priorities that are in Pennsylvania’s best interest.
“I try to vote to focus on Pennsylvania’s priorities, which sometimes means I’m against my party’s president on trade issues,” he said. “For example, I was against the president (Barack) Obama trade agreement and opposed some of its steps President (Joe) Biden has become energized because I believe it is in the best interest of Pennsylvania to sometimes go against its own party.”
Castille, who served on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 1994 to 2014 and was chief justice of the Supreme Court from 2008 to 2014, said he also opposes Trump.
“I am against Trump for all the things he has done towards veterans,” he said. “I’m just terrified. Am I a loser and a loser? We must find a way to stop his madness. Bob Casey is the guy who will be one of the people fighting Trump.”
