Sen. Bob Casey hears testimony at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions’ subcommittee on Children and Families July 9, 2024 (U.S. Senate photo)
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, 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 of more than 17,000 votes.
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 is a developing story