A Republican challenger to a long-serving Democratic U.S. Senate seat claimed victory on Thursday, though some votes remain outstanding. Trump-backed GOP candidate Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania is declaring victory over three-term Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, as the majority of remaining votes to be counted are coming from Republican-leaning Cambria County. McCormick currently holds a lead of just over 30,000 votes, with approximately 98 percent of the ballots counted.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, McCormick’s campaign communications director, Elizabeth Gregory, released a victory statement. “McCormick is up 30,679 votes with more to come, as ruby red Cambria County is still outstanding,” the statement reads. “While votes continue to be counted, any way you slice it, Dave McCormick will be the next United States Senator from Pennsylvania.”
Casey — the son of former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr. — is still holding out hope and has yet to formally concede. “The count in Pennsylvania is still continuing,” Casey said. “Yesterday, the vote margin shrunk by 50,000 votes and this race is now within half a point, the threshold for automatic recounts in Pennsylvania. With tens of thousands more votes to be counted, we are committed to ensuring every Pennsylvanian’s vote is heard and confident that at the end of that process, Senator Casey will be re-elected.”
Democrats are still hopeful for provisional ballots in the blue strongholds of Philadelphia and Allegheny County, which includes the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. However, several senators and other elected officials are urging Casey to concede, as the majority of the remaining votes are expected to favor McCormick significantly. Cambria County is currently hand-counting thousands of ballots due to issues with voting machines on Election Day.
“Senator Bob Casey should concede to senator-elect Dave McCormick,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote in an X post. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) made a similar appeal. “The race in Pennsylvania is over. I hope Senator Casey will accept this and concede to Dave McCormick so he can begin the important work of preparing to represent the commonwealth in the U.S. Senate,” Rubio wrote in an X post of his own.
If and when Casey concedes, Republicans will hold 53 seats in the U.S. Senate after successfully flipping seats in West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio. Meanwhile, Republican challengers Eric Hovde and U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) narrowly lost their races in Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively, while Kari Lake is currently trailing her Democratic opponent Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in Arizona. Additionally, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) secured reelection by a slim margin over Republican challenger Sam Brown.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.