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Bob Casey concedes in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race • Pennsylvania Capital-Star [1]

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Date: 2024-11-21 23:20:05+00:00

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) on Thursday dropped his bid for reelection, conceding to GOP challenger Dave McCormick, putting an end to one of the most hotly contested and expensive Senate races of the cycle, and an end to the Scranton native’s 18-year career in the Senate.

“I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last,” Casey said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “This race was one of the closest in our Commonwealth’s history, decided by less than a quarter of a point. I am grateful to the thousands of people who worked to make sure every eligible vote cast could be counted, including election officials in all 67 counties.”

The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, but Casey had refused to concede, citing the large number of ballots still to be counted at the time.

Since the vote margin between McCormick and Casey was less than 0.5%, it triggered an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt estimated the cost of the recount would be more than $1 million. As county tallies began to trickle in, however, it did not appear Casey would pick up enough votes to clear McCormick’s lead.

Casey still trailed McCormick by 16,349 votes on Thursday evening, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

At least 20 lawsuits by the candidates and their parties were filed in 13 counties challenging election boards’ decision on handling mail-in and provisional ballots with irregularities. Most were still pending when Casey conceded Thursday evening.

Although the Casey campaign claimed a victory when a Philadelphia judge rejected an effort by McCormick to exclude 966 provisional ballots with missing signatures from poll workers, the court also rejected a bid by Democrats to count more than 2,000 ballots missing a voter’s signature or a secrecy envelope. The six cases that had been decided resulted in a net loss of about 60 votes for Casey.

McCormick thanked Casey for his years of service to the commonwealth in a statement Thursday.

“Senator Bob Casey dedicated his career to bettering our commonwealth. Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice,” McCormick said. “I am so honored to represent every single citizen in Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and will fight for you every day. Thank you.”

In his statement Thursday, Casey thanked those who had voted for him and his campaign staff.

“When a Pennsylvanian takes the time to cast a legal vote, often waiting in long lines and taking time away from their work and family, they deserve to know that their vote will count. That’s democracy,” Casey said. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done since Election Day to enfranchise voters across the state — no matter whom they voted for — and to ensure that the democratic process could unfold. In just a few days, we built an organization of 350 staff across the state, joined by more than a thousand volunteers, who helped more than 6,000 Pennsylvania voters make a plan to fix small issues with their ballot so their vote would be counted.”

This election cycle was the second time McCormick has been involved in a recount while seeking a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. He lost the GOP primary in 2022 to Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. Oz had received Donald Trump’s endorsement, but ultimately lost to John Fetterman in the general election.

This time around, however, McCormick was better prepared. Before he had even officially announced his candidacy, he had the support of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Action, the super PAC funded largely by billionaire Charles Koch. And unlike 2022, McCormick was the only Republican on the primary ballot in April.

McCormick waited until after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dropped out of the race to endorse Trump. Haley, who never campaigned for Trump in 2024, hit the stump for McCormick in Pennsylvania in the final week before the election.

Trump formally endorsed McCormick’s campaign during a rally in the Lehigh Valley on April 13 — Casey’s birthday — calling the GOP challenger “a good man” who “wants to run a good ship. He’s a smart guy who was a very successful guy.”

After he endorsed Trump, McCormick became a ubiquitous presence at the President-elect’s campaign visits to Pennsylvania. That included the July 13 rally in Butler, where Trump was injured in an assassination attempt.

McCormick’s main line of attack against Casey was that the incumbent was “weak” and almost always voted in favor of President Joe Biden’s agenda. After Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Trump in June, some Democrats publicly called on the president to not seek a second term, but Casey did not join those calls.

Casey and Biden, both natives of Scranton, had a close relationship, with the president frequently referring to him as “Bobby,” including at his State of the Union address in March. Biden was spotlighting Casey’s push against “greedflation,” or corporate price gouging, which was a focus during the early days of Casey’s campaign.

Heading into the general election, Casey and McCormick debated twice, arguing over abortion, immigration and the economy. Casey and Pennsylvania Democrats called into question McCormick’s residency and whether he actually lived in Pennsylvania, and criticized McCormick’s previous role as CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.

Casey is the longest-serving Democratic senator in Pennsylvania history. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 when he defeated Republican incumbent Rick Santorum. The son of former Pennsylvania governor Robert P. Casey, Sr., Casey became the dean of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation, after serving as Pennsylvania Auditor General from 1997 to 2005 and Treasurer from 2005 to 2007. He launched an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2002, but lost to then-Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell in the primary.

Casey serves as chairperson of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, where he championed issues like Social Security and drew attention to scams that targeted senior citizens.

With Casey’s loss, Republicans have now swept all of Pennsylvania’s statewide offices in 2024. It marks the first time in the 21st century that the GOP has won the presidency and all of Pennsylvania’s row offices in the same year.

Pennsylvania junior Sen. John Fetterman praised Casey in a statement Thursday, saying it was “a supreme honor to have Bob Casey as a colleague, friend, and mentor.” When Fetterman was hospitalized for depression shortly after he took office in 2023, he credited Casey and his staff for offering guidance and support.

“Unassuming while delivering for PA for nearly two decades, he fought for working Pennsylvanians and unions, rural communities, seniors and people with disabilities—all of us,” Fetterman added. “Bob Casey was, is, and always will be Pennsylvania’s best senator.”

Peter Hall of the Capital-Star staff contributed

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[1] Url: https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/casey-mccormick-recount-concede-senate-pennsylvania/

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