Pennsylvania voters have officially flipped a U.S. Senate seat from Democrat to Republican with the election of Dave McCormick. He was declared the winner by the Associated Press on Nov. 7, but incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. refused to concede for two weeks.
But Casey finally admitted defeat on Thursday evening in a sober video posted on social media.
“I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate,” Casey said. “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.”
The Pennsylvania Department of State announced on X on Thursday that the first count was completed as of 5 p.m. on Nov 21. That means overseas ballots and provisional ballots have been handled and counties can move toward certifying their results.
In the days immediately after the election, the results showed McCormick leading by more than 32,000 votes, and the projected math showed no path to victory. As of Nov. 21, McCormick led by more than 16,000 votes.
Pennsylvania election law calls for a mandatory recount when results show a margin of half of 1 percent or less. The losing candidate has the option to decline the recount. McCormick won with a .24 percent margin as of Nov. 21. Initially Casey wanted the recount.
The Pennsylvania Department of State said the recount would likely cost more than $1 million and the state has never had the results of a race overturned in a recount. It told counties that once they finished counting ballots, they must begin the recount no later than Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Counties were to complete the recount by noon on Nov. 26 and report results to the secretary of state by noon on Nov. 27.
Some counties have already completed their recount, and initial recount results, provided by the McCormick campaign in an email, were not helpful to Casey. (Most of the counties that completed their recounts were Republican counties.)
Image CreditDave McCormick Campaign
“Sixteen counties have now finished their recounts and reported results, leading Dave McCormick to a net 7 vote gain over Bob Casey in the recount to nowhere,” a McCormick campaign email stated on Thursday. In the same email, McCormick Communications Director Elizabeth Gregory said, “Another day closer to this waste of time and money being over. We all know how this will end.”
After Casey announced he was bowing out, Senator-elect McCormick released an email statement.
“Senator Bob Casey dedicated his career to bettering our commonwealth. Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice.”
“I am so honored to represent every single citizen in Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and will fight for you every day. Thank you!”
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
