Gov. Josh Shapiro Campaigns for Sen. Bob Casey in Bucks County

Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in Lower Bucks County on Monday, telling supporters gathered at Neshaminy Brewing in Croydon that Casey “understands what you’re dealing with in your community.”

“The senator is always there to deliver a check to make sure that key legislation that helps Pennsylvanians, like capping insulin at $35 for our seniors, gets passed,” Shapiro said. “When you think about authenticity, when you think about someone who is like us, who shares our values, who cares about us, who can go into these halls of power and not forget where he came from, that’s Bob Casey.”

Casey, a third-term Democrat, is locked in a tough re-election battle with Republican Dave McCormick. Although Casey has led in polls throughout the race, he said he expects it to be a close race come Election Day on Nov. 5.

Casey largely stuck to his usual speech Monday, saying among other things that McCormick would vote with the GOP caucus against bills that would expand abortion rights, improve voting access and strengthen unions.

“I’m on one side of all of these issues. My opponent is on the other,” Casey said. “He will never vote for any of these bills that protect voting rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights.”

McCormick’s campaign spokeswoman, Elizabeth Gregory, in turn, tried to link Casey to her party leaders.

“Bob Casey is a weak, liberal politician by profession whose support for [President Joe] Biden and [Vice President Kamala] “Harris’s radical agenda has driven the cost of living to record highs as he seeks to ban fracking, open the border while thousands of Pennsylvanians die from fentanyl overdoses, and enable violent crime by undermining and underfunding law enforcement,” Gregory said in a statement.

Gregory referred to Harris in 2019, saying she supported a fracking ban. Casey opposes fracking bans, and Harris has since reversed her position.

Both Shapiro and Casey spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, but they had very different missions. Casey outlined his case for reelection and reiterated his signature “greedflation” platform of investigating large corporations that rapidly raise prices for consumers despite high profit margins.

Shapiro, who was not on the ballot this year and was recently a finalist to run against Harris, used his airtime to talk about the need to protect “true freedoms” — a signature slogan for the governor, who is widely expected to one day run for the White House himself — by electing a Democrat this year.

With a mix of blue-collar towns in the South, rural areas in the North and bedroom communities in between, Bucks County is well-known as a microcosm of the country and a barometer of national elections. This year, it could play a key role in the presidential race, the Senate race and the U.S. House race between Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic challenger Ashley Ehasz.

“Not only is this the most swing county in the most swing state — I mean just in the political sense — but it’s also the county that will determine who is in the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro said he was eager to help Casey, who endorsed him during the 2016 Democratic primary for attorney general. Shapiro’s victory was a key step in his rise from Montgomery County official to national figure.

“Senator Casey took a chance on me when I was starting out in politics, when very few people would give me a chance,” Shapiro said. “He was always there for me. I will always be there for him.”