US Senator Bob Casey (Pennsylvania) awarded to Republican Dave McCormick on Thursday, formally ending his re-election bid and confirming defeat two weeks after the Associated Press announced McCormick’s victory and after a statewide race recount began.
Casey resisted stepping down, citing the thousands of votes that still needed to be counted and entering into litigation to maximize the number of ballots counted. But when the final ballots were tallied on Thursday, Casey’s deficit of about 16,500 votes was too huge to overcome, and so huge that a recount had no effect on it.
“I want to thank the people of Pennsylvania for allowing me to serve in public office for 28 consecutive years as auditor general, state treasurer and United States senator,” Casey said. “Every day I have served in public office, I have fought for Pennsylvania’s workers, children, seniors, people with disabilities and our veterans. … It was the honor of my life.”
Casey said he called McCormick on Thursday night to congratulate him. He thanked his wife, Teresa, and four daughters, as well as Casey’s campaign staff.
The concession formally ends Casey’s three-year term in the U.S. Senate and 28 years in public office. It also solidifies Republican neat wins in statewide races in Pennsylvania this year.
Casey, the son of Pennsylvania’s popular governor, won six statewide races in the commonwealth before losing to McCormick this year. Although the Democrat led in the polls for much of the race, McCormick closed the gap in the final weeks of the campaign, extending the victory by less than half a percentage point.
“Senator Bob Casey has dedicated his career to improving our community,” McCormick said in a statement to X. “Dina and I want to express our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Teresa and their family for their decades of service, hard work and personal sacrifice. I am honored to represent every Pennsylvanian in the United States Senate and I will fight for you every day.”
Hours before Casey was awarded the license, Gov. Josh Shapiro described his relationship with McCormick as cordial.
“If this is the person that the good people of Pennsylvania elected, of course we will work together to provide resources to our Commonwealth, to protect the rights and interests of our Commonwealth, and I trust that we will work together really well,” Shapiro told The Inquirer during a visit to Philadelphia.
It was unclear whether Casey’s concession came too behind schedule to stop a days-long recount that is estimated to cost the state more than $1 million. It was supposed to end the following Tuesday.
The concession coincided with the completion of the initial vote count in all 67 counties, regardless of the recount.
“Once the first vote count is complete, Pennsylvanians will be able to continue their work knowing that their voices have been heard,” Casey said. “This race was one of the fiercest in the history of our community, decided by less than a quarter of a point. I am grateful to the thousands of people who worked to ensure that every eligible vote cast could be counted.”
Last week, Casey had the opportunity to refuse a recount but chose to proceed, prompting accusations from Republicans that he was dragging out the process and casting doubt on the electoral system.
The weeks since The Associated Press called the race have been filled with legal wrangling between Casey and McCormick, as their legal teams argue in courtrooms and before county boards of elections over the fate of several provisional and mail-in ballots.
A handful of Democratic-led county boards of elections defied the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s orders and voted to count the undated ballots. The court reiterated that those votes should not count after McCormick and the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit, but Casey sought to defend the counties’ decisions in court.
The two campaigns also took the case to court to argue the fate of some provisional ballots.
Even if Casey suspends his campaign, these fights will likely continue, and final rulings will impact which ballots will and will not be counted in future races.
Casey is the only Democratic Senate candidate in a swing state who fell miniature this year, a surprising result given that at one point his race seemed more likely to go to Democrats than the races the party ultimately won in Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona. But Trump also won by a larger margin in Pennsylvania than in those swing states.
Casey was often called “Mr. Pennsylvania” and his subdued, statesmanlike style made him a largely uncontroversial candidate who has outperformed top finishes in the past.
On Thursday, Democratic praise for Casey and his long career flowed quickly.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who served alongside Casey for the final two years of his term, posted a photo of X’s side-by-side. He advertised Casey as a mentor.
“His legacy is a better Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis similarly praised Casey on social media, saying the senator “embodies what it means to be a true public servant and has spent his life working to assist Pennsylvania’s families, workers, children and seniors.”
McCormick campaigned on Casey’s calmer demeanor as weak, comparing it to his own military service and experience in the financial world. He asked what Casey, whose legislative achievements often went unnoticed, had to demonstrate during her 18 years in office. And he linked Casey to deeply unpopular President Joe Biden, who was a close ally of Casey, a Scranton native.
McCormick ran a strong campaign after his first attempt at running for office in 2022, when he lost the GOP primary to Mehmet Oz by fewer than 1,000 votes.
McCormick’s personal story received wide attention. Although Democrats tried to attack his dual residence in Connecticut (which he held until June), McCormick had bona fide Pennsylvania roots, starting in western Pennsylvania and then growing up in Bloomsburg, where his father was president of that city’s state university.
The race resulted in more than $300 million being spent by campaigns, their parties and outside groups. The biggest outside spender was Keystone Renewal, a pro-McCormick super PAC backed mostly by financial industry billionaires, some of whom knew the Republican from his time at Bridgewater Associates.
PAC spending played a key role in keeping McCormick financially competitive with Casey, who continued to field fundraising requests long after Election Day while the recount was underway.
Casey, who cast votes in Washington this week, said in his concession statement that he was guided by a sign on the Harrisburg Finance Building throughout his time in office.
“All public service is trust, given with faith and accepted with honor,” he said, quoting the inscription. “Thank you for trusting me over the years, Pennsylvania.”
Staff writer Aliya Schneider contributed to this article.
