Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Loses Reelection

Republican Dave McCormick’s victory is a major blow for Democrats.

Republican Dave McCormick was projected to defeat Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), denying him a fourth term in an upset that signals a dramatic shift in fortunes for Democrats in the country’s quintessential battleground state.

The narrowness of McCormick’s lead over Casey as votes continued to be counted days after Election Day raised the possibility of an automatic recount, which Pennsylvania requires in races where the gap between the two candidates is half a percentage point or less. But while McCormick still led Casey by less than half a point on Thursday afternoon, The Associated Press called the race in the Republican’s favor.

Given a virtually guaranteed loss in West Virginia and tough odds in red states such as Montana, Senate Democrats were counting on candidates like Casey to pull through in order to hold onto their slim majority in the Senate.

Republicans had already taken the majority in the Senate by the time Casey’s race was called on Thursday. But Casey’s loss is likely to jeopardize Democratic control of the chamber for years to come.

McCormick, a former hedge fund manager and Gulf War veteran, depicted Casey as a liberal “career politician” who put allegiance to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Pennsylvanians’ interests. He even hit Casey, a Scranton native, for being the son of a popular former governor of Pennsylvania.