HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPVI) — Republican Dave McCormick has declared victory over Democratic Senator Bob Casey in Pennsylvania’s crucial U.S. Senate seat. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Thursday, but ABC News has not yet predicted a winner.
There are still “at least” 100,000 votes outstanding, Secretary of State Al Schmidt said Thursday evening. According to Schmidt, that count also includes “provisional, military, foreign and election day votes.”
“We urge patience as election workers continue to do this important work, especially in contests where the margins are very close,” he said.
McCormick filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia on Friday, challenging the thousands of provisional ballots that municipal election officials began counting earlier in the morning.
On Friday, McCormick led Casey by about 34,000 votes.
The Republican spoke for the first time in Pittsburgh on Friday after declaring victory.
“There is no way Senator Casey can overcome my lead,” McCormick said.
McCormick said he has no plans to reject any votes that are still being counted.
Senator Bob Casey has not yet conceded.
In a statement, Casey’s campaign said the race is still too close because of the thousands of ballots that have yet to be counted.
“The number of provisional ballots expected from areas that favor Senator Casey, such as Philadelphia and its suburbs, is further evidence that this race is too close to call. As the McCormick campaign admitted in their own lawsuit this morning, counting these ballots could have an “impact on the outcome of the election.” With more than 100,000 ballots yet to be counted, we will continue to ensure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard,” the Casey campaign said in a statement.
In a statement earlier in the afternoon, McCormick communications director Elizabeth Gregory said in a statement: “While votes are still being counted, no matter how you look at it, Dave McCormick will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.”
Casey, perhaps Pennsylvania’s best-known politician and the son of a former two-term governor, is seeking a fourth term after facing what he has called his toughest reelection challenge yet.
Casey, 64, is a staunch supporter of the state’s Democratic Party. He has won six statewide elections dating back to 1996, including serving as the state auditor general and treasurer.
McCormick, 59, is making his second run for Senate after narrowly losing to Dr. in the 2022 Republican primary. Mehmet Oz. He left his job as CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund after serving at the highest levels of former President George W. Bush’s administration and serving on Trump’s Defense Advisory Board.
The race revolved around national issues, from abortion rights to inflation. But it also targeted local beers, such as Casey’s accusation that McCormick is a wealthy carpet dealer from Connecticut’s ritzy “Gold Coast” — a caricature that McCormick helped bring to life by mispronouncing the name of one of Pennsylvania’s local beers speak – in an attempt to buy Pennsylvania’s. Senate seat.
Casey also attacked McCormick’s hedge fund days, accusing him of getting rich at America’s expense by investing in Chinese companies that make fentanyl and built Beijing’s military.
McCormick, in turn, emphasized his seventh-generation roots in Pennsylvania, recounting his high school years, wrestling in northern Pennsylvania towns — a sport that took him to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — and his time in online auction house FreeMarkets Inc. ., which had its name on a skyscraper in Pittsburgh during the technology boom.
Casey, a staunch ally of labor unions and President Joe Biden, has campaigned on preserving the middle class, abortion rights, labor rights and voting rights, calling McCormick and President-elect Donald Trump a threat to all of them.
McCormick in turn accused Casey of slamming the Biden administration’s border, economic, energy and national security policies that he blames for inflation, civil unrest and war. He has attacked Casey as a weak, excessive career politician and a sure bet to fall in line with Vice President Kamala Harris had she become president.
Should McCormick win, he would be part of the red wave responsible for capturing the U.S. Senate.
David Barrett, a professor of political science at Villanova, spoke about the impact of Republicans taking control of the Senate.
“The real premise is that a determined president who wants to do things can very likely do those things if he has strong support if he has a House and a Senate from his political party,” Barrett explained.
He also said he is not surprised at how close the race is, citing polls that predicted it and advertising.
“I’ve seen a lot of McCormick ads that really, really trashed Senator Casey, and I felt like Casey didn’t respond in kind enough,” Barrett said.
If the race is decided by half a percentage point or less, it could lead to a recount.
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