Approximately 90 minutes after Pennsylvania completed its initial vote count, three-term U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) conceded to Republican challenger Dave McCormick. The defeat ends what Democrats once called “the best brand in Pennsylvania politics.”
“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,” said Casey on Thursday night.
“Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Sen. Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice,” McCormick said.
With McCormick leading Casey by more than 16,000 votes, the race is one of the closest in state history.
It was also one of the biggest upsets. Casey — son of popular Gov. Bob Casey Sr. — hadn’t lost an election since 2002, when Ed Rendell defeated him in the Democratic primary for governor. McCormick had lost his only other run for public office – in the 2022 GOP U.S. Senate primary against Mehmet Oz.
McCormick, a hedge fund manager, trailed Casey by double digits in early August polls.
Casey got a shock later that month when a CNN poll showed the pair tied. The race grew closer in September, as more voters began tuning into the campaign. By October, Casey’s poll advantage was within the margin of error.
As ballots were counted on Election Night, McCormick emerged with a lead of less than one percentage point. The AP called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7. One day later, McCormick, calling himself U.S. Sen.-elect, said there was no path to victory for Casey.
Nevertheless, Casey resisted efforts to concede.
His campaign repeatedly stated provisional and absentee ballots needed to be tabulated. National Democrats sent Marc E. Elias, the lawyer behind the infamous “Steele Dossier,” to hunt for votes.
Casey’s campaign also relied on a dubious legal claim – that McCormick went to court to block “large tranches of votes” in Philadelphia from being counted. Campaign Manager Tiernan Donohue said McCormick knew the votes “could impact the outcome of the election.” She said McCormick also went to the state Supreme Court to keep undated ballots from being counted.
Court documents told a different story.
The Philadelphia suit, filed by McCormick’s legal team Nov. 7, was to make sure GOP representatives were present when provisional ballots were reviewed. That suit was withdrawn a day later.
The state Supreme Court case involved undated mail ballots from an early fall special election. One week before the November election, the Commonwealth Court said undated ballots from the special election should have been counted. State Supreme Court justices stayed that decision.
In the interim, U.S. Senate leadership played political games with McCormick. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) initially said McCormick couldn’t attend Senate orientation. He relented after an outcry from the GOP.
When Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced a mandatory recount on Nov. 14, McCormick’s lead remained around half of a percentage point. The recount cost taxpayers $1 million, although Casey could have waived his right to it.
As the Keystone State waited for ballots to be recounted, Casey faced growing pressure to concede. Former Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mark Singel admonished Casey to “get on with this.” Singel, a Democrat, served with Gov. Bob Casey Sr. from 1987 to 1995.
Meanwhile, the legal battle expanded into the Delaware Valley. McCormick and Republicans sued Bucks County over the Board of Elections’ decision to accept ballot with date errors. Montgomery County Democrats also counted undated or incorrectly dated ballots – even though they admitted to ignoring the state Supreme Court.
“I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country. People violate laws anytime they want,” said Bucks County Commission Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Casey donor, last week.
On Monday, Casey’s hope of overturning his defeat dwindled. The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of McCormick’s request to reject undated mail-in ballots.
McCormick’s team never doubted he would win. His campaign regularly informed Pennsylvanians the recount resulted in McCormick gaining more votes than Casey.
“We all know how this will end,” said McCormick spokesperson Elizabeth Gregory.
The official recount results will not be released until Nov. 27.
McCormick’s victory gives Republicans a 53 to 47 advantage in the U.S. Senate.
