Republican Dave McCormick Flips Pennsylvania Senate Seat

Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick and his wife, Dina Powell, head to the polling place at Chatham University in Pittsburgh on Nov. 5, 2024. Jackson Richman/The Epoch Times

Republican multimillionaire businessman Dave McCormick defeated incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) in the Nov. 5 election, giving the GOP a crucial extra seat in its Senate majority, The Associated Press projected on Nov. 7.

Republicans won Senate control on election night, and this win brings its majority up to 53 seats to Democrats’ 45, with two races—Arizona and Nevada—left to be called.

However, the Pennsylvania race could be headed toward a recount because it falls in the 0.5 percentage-point margin that automatically triggers a recount under state law.

“I always knew from Day One it was going to be a very close race,” McCormick said in response to a question from The Epoch Times on Sept. 10.

After the Associated Press called the race on Thursday, Casey said that he would not yet concede to his opponent, noting that the state was still counting more than 100,000 ballots.

I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” Casey said on X. “It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”

McCormick thanked his supporters after the projected victory, posting on X, “I am honored and excited to represent EVERY Pennsylvanian as our next Senator.”

McCormick ran on a broad coalition, appealing to former President Donald Trump’s voters but also to key constituencies skeptical or critical of Trump, including independents and suburbanites.

“The key for my winning is to be able to talk to voters that are on the fence, voters that could go either way,” McCormick said.

McCormick tied Casey, who has been in the Senate since 2007, to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s agenda.

Casey has mostly voted with Senate Democrat leadership and the Biden administration’s positions.

Trump endorsed McCormick.

“He’s a good man. He wants to run a good ship,” Trump said at an April 13 rally in Pennsylvania.

“Thank you, President Trump! Together we will deliver a big win for Pennsylvania and America in November,” McCormick posted on social media platform X in response.

For most of the election cycle, polls showed Casey ahead, but the race tightened in October.

McCormick told The Epoch Times on Nov. 5 that he attributed the trend to voters paying more attention after Labor Day.

The RealClearPolitics average between Oct. 9 and Oct. 30 showed Casey leading by 2.6 percentage points.

McCormick ran for the GOP nomination for Senate in 2022 but was narrowly defeated by TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who went on to lose to former Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

McCormick was in the U.S. Army and served during the 1991 Gulf War.

He worked at McKinsey & Company before eventually joining Bridgewater Associates, where he was president. He served in multiple roles in the Bush administration.

Casey, like Biden, was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He served as Pennsylvania state treasurer between 2005 and 2007 and auditor general between 1997 and 2005.

His father, Bob Casey Sr., was Pennsylvania governor between 1987 and 1995.

One of the main issues that came up in the race was abortion.

Casey voted in 2021 against an amendment that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks. He voted in favor of a bill, in 2018 and 2020, that would have done the same.

McCormick’s campaign focused on the border, energy, the economy, and fentanyl.

McCormick will take office on Jan. 3, 2025.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

This article was updated to include Casey and McCormick’s reactions to the race call.