Dave McCormick will take the oath of office as Pennsylvania’s junior senator on Friday, bringing a up-to-date voice to Washington and giving Republicans that state’s Senate seat after two years of sole Democratic ownership.
The combat veteran and hedge fund CEO’s victory over longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey made him a rising star in the Republican Party, drawing national attention as a freshman just over two years after he failed to make it into the primary during his freshman year. start in the elections.
McCormick is currently the state’s highest-ranking Republican and has already gained some of that influence. His preferred choice to lead the state Republican Party appears to be the front-runner in the February election.
McCormick’s Senate campaign has become a national model for the GOP looking to extend its victories beyond this year. Despite a nationwide red wave, GOP Senate candidates in several other battleground states fell compact this cycle, which highlights McCormick’s feat.
“He comes from a large swing state after knocking off the most recognizable political name in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Vince Galko, a GOP strategist. “With Republicans taking control of the Senate, that’s one of the reasons why, so it’s understandable why people see him as a rising star.”
Now McCormick takes the oath of office to begin a six-year term representing the state in the chamber, where he will have to navigate convoluted relationships in a GOP-controlled but still narrowly divided Congress. The open question is how President-elect Donald Trump will chart his own course in Washington.
» READ MORE: Meet the up-to-date members of Pennsylvania’s Congress who are being sworn in today
While Democrats note that Trump’s mighty showing in Pennsylvania likely helped McCormick, along with the infusion of super PAC money, McCormick also ran a sharp campaign that capitalized on the concerns of the Pennsylvania electorate and avoided the pitfalls of celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz’s failed 2022 general election. .campaign. Some of the money raised by his super PAC also helped fund Republicans more broadly.
“Everyone witnessed what he brought to Pennsylvania this year,” said RNC committee member Andy Reilly.
Reilly said McCormick earned the respect of the state party by running again without hostility toward people who snubbed him in his first campaign, when he narrowly lost the primary to Oz.
“He came back after losing 900 votes to run again without bitterness, but with optimism and a lot of focused energy,” Reilly said. “Many of the party regulars who rejected Dave, including Trump, Dave moved forward with an embrace. He’s used to leading people, but understanding people is something else. I think he will behave the same as a senator.
To what extent will McCormick align with President-elect Donald Trump?
The first question is what McCormick’s relationship with President-elect Donald Trump will be like and how he will vote for Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
McCormick has worked closely with Trump and has met with him frequently since his victory, including dinner with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago in late November, and at the Army-Navy game last month.
Asked about Trump’s Cabinet nominees, McCormick said he would vet them, but also announced the creation of a team that would enable Trump to implement his agenda.
“President Trump won a big ticket and promised disruption,” McCormick said this week in an interview with former GOP Pennsylvania Senate candidate Kathy Barnette. “He ran as a disruptor, so he will elect disruptive candidates, and I think he has succeeded in many cases, and my job is to help President Trump provide the team he needs to succeed.”
Trump’s high-level nominees include McCormick’s former chief rival, Oz, whom Trump has chosen to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. McCormick said he would support Oz in the position.
New senators typically don’t stray too far from their party as they adjust to the Senate, but those who know McCormick predicted that the former West Point wrestler, who had roots in Bloomsburg and now lives in Pittsburgh, would put Pennsylvania first.
“There’s a lot of pressure, especially from the White House, and it’s not unique to the Trump administration,” said Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania Republican strategist. “But I think Dave McCormick will stand on his own, and I think that’s who the people of Pennsylvania elected him to be.”
» READ MORE: Delaware makes history as Sarah McBride and Lisa Blunt Rochester take their oaths in Washington, DC
What will McCormick’s relationship be with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman?
There are signs that Pennsylvania’s two senators, who hail from the Pittsburgh area, could develop a particularly amiable partnership even in the face of heated partisanship.
Fetterman said he wants to work with selected members of Trump’s cabinet with whom he has already met. And while he called Casey’s loss particularly disheartening – the senior senator showed him the ropes and was a close ally in Washington – Fetterman also publicly praised McCormick.
Working with former GOP Sen. Pat Toomey and Casey was good, especially on the appointment of federal judges. Historically, senators from opposing parties also get along well because they are not competing for money or status in their own country. “Their elbows are not fighting for position in the party,” Gerow said
Reilly also predicted that there would be an “understanding” between the two.
“Two things are going on: Dave being open to working with anyone – his attitude right now is ‘let’s come together’ – and Fetterman being more center-centered on many issues over the last three months. That won’t leave much room between him and Dave.
With the loss of Casey after 18 years in the Senate, Pennsylvania’s delegation is now relatively inexperienced. Fetterman has only been in the chamber for two years. However, it behooves both members to cooperate, especially on state-specific issues.
“They’re both younger, they’re both still in school, but if they can find a way to get along, it will certainly be to the benefit of the Commonwealth,” said Ross Baker, a Senate historian and retired Rutgers distinguished professor.
“You can waste a lot of time and energy feuding with your opponent.”
What issues will McCormick prioritize?
McCormick, who served in the George W. Bush administration as treasurer and national security officer, focused his campaign on securing the border, reducing the flow of illegal drugs and growing the country’s economy. He said he would focus on these areas in the Senate.
He will serve on five committees: Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Energy and natural resources; Foreign relations; Special Committee on Aging; and the Joint Economic Committee. McCormick’s election helped Republicans secure a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning all committees are run by Republicans.
The 119th Congress will face a range of issues, including the looming debt ceiling debate, Trump’s promises to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, and the up-to-date president’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire this year.
McCormick will return to Washington on Monday to address Congress’ most pressing task: certifying Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election on Jan. 6.
