U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) hold a discussion at Temple University’s Ambler Campus with moderator state Sen. Maria Collett (D-Montgomery) Sept. 20, 2024 (Capital-Star photo by John Cole)
AMBLER — From one commonwealth to another, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) on the campaign trail Friday in the Philadelphia suburbs to highlight one of the central issues of his 2024 campaign: “greedflation.”
“There are a zillion things you could be doing, but the fact that you came in here to wonk out a little over corporate price gouging really tells me about your investment in this commonwealth and your investment in our nation,” Warren told the audience at the Learning Center at Temple University’s Ambler campus.
Roughly 250 supporters gathered for the event moderated by state Sen. Maria Collett (D-Montgomery). Casey and Warren shared their viewpoints that the best way to lower costs for working families is to pass legislation to allow the Federal Trade Commission to tackle corporate price gouging.
Casey noted that of the 50 states, 37 allow their attorneys general to prosecute and investigate price gouging and hold companies in their states accountable. Not so at the federal level, he said.
“The Federal Trade Commission doesn’t have that power today, and that’s why I’ve been working with Senator Warren, who’s been leading on this for years, to pass that price gouging legislation, go into a court of law and prove when there’s price gouging engaged in by these big corporations,” he said.
Casey, who is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, has introduced the Shrinkflation Prevention Act and the Price Gouging Prevention Act, both intended to highlight what he views as corporate greed.
Warren, a progressive Democrat and vocal opponent of corporate power who came up with the idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before she was elected to the Senate, lauded Casey as a leader on the topic.
“This is about concentration of corporate power,” Warren said. “Nobody has spoken more eloquently about this than Senator Casey and the focus on grocery stores and gas pumps.”
During the 20-plus minute conversation, Warren also took a jab at Casey’s opponent, former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick.
“What this fight is all about is you can elect a hedge fund guy to go to Washington to watch out for… I don’t think it’s going to be you,” Warren said. “To watch out for big investors, to watch out for private equity.”
“Or you can elect somebody once again, like Bob Casey, who is in this fight for you,” she added.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey assails corporations for holding consumers captive to ‘greedflation’
On the campaign trail and through television ads, McCormick has made the case that increased federal spending, supported by Casey, is the reason for inflation.
“Of course Bob Casey, who is a liberal Senator, has teamed up with extremist Elizabeth Warren,” Nate Sizemore, McCormick press secretary emailed to the Capital-Star. “That’s why he’s making an Elizabeth Warren argument for Venezuelan-style price controls.”
When speaking to reporters following the event, Casey defended his support for spending packages like the American Rescue Plan, arguing that it helped save jobs all across the state, while also calling for making the child tax credit law permanent.
Casey also applauded Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, for her focus on housing policies.
Another point Casey hammered home that he believes adds to the importance of the 2024 election is the 2017 GOP-backed tax bill set to expire in 2025. He described next year as the “Super Bowl of taxes,” and accused Republicans of wanting to “rig the system” for big corporations.
National polling shows Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s candidate for president, in a close race.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released on Friday showed that Trump had a 2 point advantage over Harris when voters were asked who they trusted more on doing a better job of handling the economy, although that margin has significantly narrowed in recent months.
While Harris and Trump are neck and neck for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes, with several ratings outlets describing it as a “toss-up,” it appears that Casey maintains a slight edge over McCormick.
The Cook Political Report rates the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania as “leans Democratic,” and a series of polls this week showed Casey leading by as much as 9 points and one poll from the Washington Post showing them tied.
Montgomery County, the host of Friday’s campaign event, is the third-most populated county in Pennsylvania and one of the bluest counties for statewide elections.
During Casey’s three successful bids for U.S. Senate, he won Montgomery County by double digits each time, as the county continues to shift leftward. He carried the county by 32 points in 2018, 18 points in 2012, and 23 points in 2006.
While Casey was in blue Montgomery County in the southeast, McCormick was campaigning at a glass factory in red Washington County in western Pennsylvania on Friday.
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