Fri. Nov 8th, 2024

David McCormick, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, speaks at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Show Inc. on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Republican Dave McCormick appeared to win a major upset victory in Pennsylvania, beating three-term incumbent Bob Casey, which would give the GOP a key win in the U.S. Senate, where it now holds 53 seats. The Associated Press called the race on Thursday shortly after 4 p.m. with McCormick leading by 30,919 votes, or 0.46%.

“While votes continue to be counted, any way you slice it, Dave McCormick will be the next United States Senator from Pennsylvania,” Elizabeth Gregory, McCormick communications director said in a statement Thursday ahead of the AP call.

But Casey did not concede on Thursday afternoon. His campaign sent a statement with a social media post from Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt that reads “Every legitimate vote must be counted in every election, we ask for patience as county election officials continue the work of counting ballots here in Pennsylvania. Election Day is the start of counting ballots here in the Commonwealth.”

Casey campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said the race was not yet over.

“As the Pennsylvania Secretary of State said this afternoon, there are tens of thousands of ballots across the Commonwealth still to count, which includes provisional ballots, military and overseas ballots, and mail ballots,” McDaniel said in a statement. “This race is within half a point and cannot be called while the votes of thousands of Pennsylvanians are still being counted. We will make sure every Pennsylvanian’s voice is heard.”

If the current margin holds, or remains at or under 0.5%, it would trigger a recount under Pennsylvania law.

Schmidt said in a statement shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday that there were “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated, including provisional, military, overseas, and Election Day votes” and again urged patience “especially in contests where the margins are very close.”

McCormick, a former hedge fund manager, contributed more than $4 million of his own money to his campaign, and was endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump early on in the campaign. He frequently appeared with the GOP candidate for president at rallies in Pennsylvania, including one in Butler in July where Trump was shot in an assassination attempt. 

Casey, whose family has deep roots in the commonwealth, and who shares a Scranton connection with President Joe Biden, was  first elected to the Senate in 2006. He is the longest serving Democratic U.S. Senator in Pennsylvania history. 

McCormick, who served in former President George W. Bush’s administration, criticized Casey for his close relationship with Biden and his record of voting with the president’s agenda most of the time, and tried to portray the incumbent as “weak.” In 2022, McCormick lost the GOP primary to Mehmet Oz, who went on to lose to Democrat John Fetterman in the general election. 

Neither candidate faced a serious challenger in the primary election, so the two have had their sights set on each other for most of the year.

The Republican National Committee congratulated McCormick Thursday. “As a combat veteran, business leader, and national security expert, the Senator-elect will make a great advocate for Americans in the Keystone State and partner for President Trump to Make America Great Again,” RNC chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines said in a statement that McCormick had “ended a political dynasty, and will now use his considerable skills to bring bold new leadership to the United States Senate on behalf of all Pennsylvanians.”

The AP noted that Casey performed worse in every region of Pennsylvania than he did in 2018, when he won reelection to a third term, beating former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta 55.74% to 42.62%

McCormick’s victory means that Republicans in Pennsylvania won the presidency and all of the races for statewide office.  The GOP also picked up two Pennsylvania U.S. House seats, with Reps. Susan Wild (D-7th District) and Matt Cartwright (D-8th District) both conceding on Wednesday. The AP called both races on Thursday.

The win is the first time in the 21st century that Republicans won the presidency and all of Pennsylvania’s statewide row offices in the same year.

This is a developing story

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