Republican candidate Dave McCormick imposed term limits on himself if he wins the U.S. Senate race against a three-term incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, Jr.promising to serve only two terms.
Speaking at an event in Lancaster, McCormick said: “We have to have time constraints. So if I am elected, I will limit myself to two terms. Someone told me: you’re just starting to gain seniority and then you can make a difference. If you have to go to Washington for 12 years to get an internship and make a difference, the system is screwed up.”
McCormick and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt spoke to about 100 supporters at an event sponsored by Building America’s Future.
The West Point Army graduate began by discussing his decision to run for Senate again after losing the 2022 GOP primary. Mehmet Oz by a majority of 900 votes.
“We talked to our six daughters and they weren’t meant for me to run again and that’s why they were 100% against it,” McCormick joked.
“America is the greatest country in the history of the world and you think it has given us all so much. You think you can actually do something. You have to go and do what you have to do.
McCormick discussed a number of issues, including spending by Democrats who have failed in leadership President Joe Bidenand an increase in crime across the country.
But he retained some of his sharpest criticisms of the Biden administration’s handling of the influx of fentanyl into the country.
“The ingredients come from China, are shipped to Mexico, manufactured there and come across the border,” he said. “It takes 48-72 hours to get to Pennsylvania. We have to stop this. This is war.
“So one of the things I said that caused some controversy is that I would consider sending our military to Mexico to take down the cartels. We have amazing opportunities now. In the Middle East, these drones are precise. We have precision guided missiles. We can destroy these cartels. And we should consider it. This would be one of the first things I would encourage the president to do. Take much more aggressive action against what is truly a war with America.”
McCormick also had some comments about conflicts on college campuses.
“Looking at what’s going on on our campuses… These kids don’t know the difference between right and wrong, right and wrong,” he said.
“And then you watch these three college presidents testify (Penn, Harvard and MIT) and you say, oh, that’s a lack of leadership, a lack of moral clarity. Bob Casey was at the crime scene every time. He didn’t stand up and say anything about what was happening on our campuses, he actually called for attacks and attacks. This is a moment that requires absolute leadership.
“That’s why I tell campaigners: If you want to maintain the status quo and if you want to continue in the same direction, you should go to Bob Casey. I’m not your guy.
“But if you want change, if you want leadership, if you want someone who will fight, who doesn’t owe anyone anything, who will fight for the future of Pennsylvania, then I’m your guy.”
McCormick also says he wants to change Washington’s culture, noting that “we must be able to fire bureaucrats who perform poorly.” He briefly suggested moving failing agencies out of D.C., implying that the Department of Energy should be in Pittsburgh.
A press release was issued after the event, highlighting a Tuesday article from The Daily Caller that stated McCormick would announce his plans during a session with Stitt.
The The story of an everyday conversationalist said McCormick’s remarks “will detail his planned efforts to move the Department of Energy (DOE) headquarters away from the nation’s capital during a Tuesday afternoon sit-down discussion with Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a source familiar with the matter told the foundation’s Daily Caller News Foundation. McCormick’s idea is to move the DOE to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to place federal officials closer to the energy-producing part of the country.
Stitt, 51, a two-term governor of Oklahoma, expressed his support for McCormick and expressed confidence that Republicans would be able to flip the Senate in 2024.
“I think we can do it 80-20. We have to do it.”
McCormick was not later given an opportunity to ask questions.
“David McCormick’s support for an abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest is disqualifying, and as he campaigns in Lancaster today, he must respond to Trump’s suggestion that states should monitor women’s pregnancies,” he said TaNisha Cameronspokesman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
