Republican David McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey are vying for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat (Capital-Star composite image)
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Republican Dave McCormick have agreed to terms on one debate, although both campaigns have expressed interest in more.
Casey, who is seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate, and McCormick, a former hedge fund manager who served in President George W. Bush’s administration, have confirmed that they will face off in a debate on Oct. 3 in Harrisburg, moderated by ABC27’s Dennis Owens.
In late April, Casey and McCormick agreed that they would participate in three debates prior to the general election in Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
McCormick’s campaign sent out a press release on June 10 and another on Aug. 29 saying it has also accepted a debate invitation from WPXI in Pittsburgh, to be moderated by Lisa Sylvester.
However, on Wednesday, Casey’s campaign announced it has accepted debate invitations from a different station in Pittsburgh, KDKA, on Oct. 9 and Philadelphia’s 6ABC on Oct. 15.
As of Thursday, Casey and McCormick have not agreed to debate terms beyond the Oct. 3 event in Harrisburg.
In 2022, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz met for one general election debate in Harrisburg, moderated by Owens and Sylvester.
During Casey’s most recent successful reelection campaign in 2018, he debated Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta twice before the general election, once in Philadelphia and once in Pittsburgh.
Since Casey and McCormick were the only candidates on their respective party’s ballots in the April primary; the two have been gearing up for the general election for months.
The race is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate showdowns in the nation this cycle as both candidates are coming off of their best fundraising quarters.
Throughout the cycle, most polling shows Casey with a several point advantage over McCormick, although some recent polls were within or close to the margin of error. Multiple national ratings outlets, including the Cook Political Report, rate the race between Casey and McCormick as “Leans Democratic,” while the race at the top of the ticket for the state’s 19 electoral votes between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is a “toss-up.”