Republican Dave McCormick flips Pennsylvania Senate seat, sends Democrat Bob Casey packing after three terms

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Republican Dave McCormick showed three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey nan doorway successful nan Keystone State’s high-stakes Senate race, bringing a Pennsylvania governmental dynasty to an extremity — and securing nan 53rd spot successful nan GOP’s 2025 Senate majority.

Dave McCormick delivers remarks successful Pittsburgh successful August. AP

McCormick, an Army seasoned and erstwhile hedge-fund executive, hit Casey by conscionable complete 30,000 votes, netting 49% of votes to nan Democrat’s 48.5%, pinch 99% of votes counted, nan Associated Press reports.

The minuscule separator triggered an automatic recount, arsenic Pennsylvania rule dictates for immoderate title decided by 0.5 percent points aliases less.

The Republican declared triumph conscionable aft 1 p.m. Thursday, 3 hours hours earlier AP yet made nan call, pinch McCormick run communications head Elizabeth Gregory tweeting: “Any measurement you portion it, David McCormick will beryllium nan adjacent United States Senator from Pennsylvania.”

While McCormick declared victory, Casey had still refused to concede nan title Thursday afternoon.

“The count successful Pennsylvania is still continuing,” tweeted Casey run spokesperson Maddy McDaniel. “Yesterday, nan ballot separator shrunk by 50,000 votes and this title is now wrong half a point, nan period for automatic recounts successful Pennsylvania.”

McCormick’s triumph marks nan culmination of his two-year quest to correspond Pennsylvania successful nan Senate. He mislaid nan 2022 GOP superior to Donald Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes but ran unopposed successful nan superior this year, stumping pinch nan erstwhile president astatine run rallies crossed nan commonwealth.

McCormick, 59, painted Casey arsenic a old and anemic campaigner who achieved small for Pennsylvania successful his astir 18 years successful Washington, and ran connected a connection of bringing alteration and blimpish practice to nan plaything state.

Throughout his run he promised to deregulate nan lipid and state industry, widen nan Trump taxation cuts and authorize US military unit against Mexican cartels to extremity fentanyl trafficking astatine nan confederate border.

McCormick has besides pledged to antagonistic China and proceed subject assistance to some Ukraine and Israel.

Casey, 64, campaigned connected tackling corporate greed while many times framing McCormick arsenic an out-of-touch elitist pinch dubious ties to Pennsylvania — a strategy that worked good for Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) against Mehmet Oz 2 years ago.

The legislator besides attempted to distance himself from President Joe Biden‘s position connected fracking to prevention himself nan oil-rich commonwealth, contempt decades of close-knit relationship and parallel positions successful their respective Senate careers.

Last period Casey moreover tried to align himself pinch Republican nominee Donald Trump connected waste and acquisition and separator argumentation successful eleventh-hour run ads.

That wasn’t capable to extremity nan bleeding from his Democratic conjugation this rhythm — Trump took location Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes by a 2-point margin, giving a boost to McCormick beneath him connected nan ticket.

Pennsylvania’s Senate title was nan second-most costly successful nan 2024 run cycle, spending $344 cardinal successful advertisement buys.