{"id":2226868,"date":"2024-04-22T06:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T10:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pining-for-pennsylvania-mccormick-seeks-do-over-in-fight-for-crucial-senate-seat\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T06:14:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T10:14:10","slug":"pining-for-pennsylvania-mccormick-seeks-do-over-in-fight-for-crucial-senate-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pining-for-pennsylvania-mccormick-seeks-do-over-in-fight-for-crucial-senate-seat\/","title":{"rendered":"Yearning for Pennsylvania: McCormick vies for second chance in key Senate race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpining-for-pennsylvania-mccormick-seeks-do-over-in-fight-for-crucial-senate-seat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2226868&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pennsylvania&#8217;s pivotal 2024\u2064 elections are set to determine the landscape of the White\u2063 House, Senate, and House. \u200dIn the series &#8220;Pining for\u2064 Pennsylvania: Unlocking the crucial Keystone State,&#8221; the Washington Examiner explores the state&#8217;s demographics, political dynamics, and key issues shaping it\u200c into a focal point of the year. Part\u200c One focuses on the high-stakes Senate race between incumbent Sen.\u200d Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em>Pennsylvania is the ultimate battleground for 2024 with the White House, Senate, and House all poised to flip based on how voters here cast their ballots. In this series,<strong> Pining for Pennsylvania: Unlocking the crucial Keystone State<\/strong>, the <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> will look at the demographics, politics, and key issues that have made Pennsylvania the must-watch state of the year. <\/em>Part One, below, looks at the stakes in the Senate race. <\/p>\n<p><strong>PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania \u2014<\/strong> The race for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Pennsylvania<\/a>\u2019s Senate seat is all but set between incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Republican challenger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/2963148\/pennsylvania-senate-hopeful-dave-mccormick-lays-out-economic-priorities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>David McCormick<\/a>, even before voters head to the polls to vote in the primary on Tuesday night. <\/p>\n<p>The race is expected to be one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2921329\/gop-contender-mccormick-gaining-ground-pennsylvania-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>most competitive elections of the 2024 election cycle<\/a> and could be the battleground for which party will win control of the Senate next year. Neither candidate is new to the Pennsylvania campaign trail, raising the stakes for both Republicans and Democrats as they pour millions of dollars into the Keystone State. <\/p>\n<p>For McCormick, the race is a chance to learn from the 2022 midterm elections when Republicans lost the open Senate seat to Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-fetterman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>John Fetterman<\/a> (D-PA) thanks to a contentious primary election that split the national GOP. Republicans ultimately tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz as the Republican nominee, who later lost to Fetterman by nearly five percentage points. <\/p>\n<p>This time, however, McCormick is running unopposed for the GOP nomination, allowing him and Republican leaders to go all-in with their attacks against Casey early in the cycle. McCormick managed to secure the endorsements of House Republicans in Pennsylvania, ranging from former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who co-leads the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPennsylvania is a very diverse state,\u201d McCormick told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>\u201cI\u2019ve got the early endorsement of the [Pennsylvania] GOP. The reason that is very different \u2014 it\u2019s so significant is because every ounce of my energy, every dollar that my campaign spends, every bit of my focus is on beating Bob Casey.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Republican David McCormick, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, meets with supporters during a campaign stop at Geno\u2019s Steaks in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another factor that could help McCormick this time around is the support of former President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n<p>During the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans were largely split on whom to back for the GOP nomination. However, Trump gifted his coveted endorsement to Oz, paving the way for him to be tapped as the nominee.<\/p>\n<p>Now, McCormick has the support of Trump due to the former president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2966213\/trump-backtracks-offer-mccormick-endorsement-pennsylvania-contest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>publicly endorsing him during a campaign rally<\/a> earlier this month, possibly giving him a boost as he looks to topple his Democratic opponent. <\/p>\n<p>The lack of a primary challenge has also allowed McCormick to focus on appealing not just to Republican voters but also to independents, whose support will be crucial to win the Senate seat in the swing state. <\/p>\n<p>In an attempt to win over those independent voters, as well as some Democrats who have become disillusioned with their party, McCormick is seeking to tie Casey to President Joe Biden as the commander in chief grapples with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/graphics\/USA-BIDEN\/POLL\/nmopagnqapa\/\">low approval ratings nationwide<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I think about the issues that most motivate and concern Pennsylvanians right now on all those issues, Bob Casey\u2019s been terrible and voted 98% of the time with Joe Biden,\u201d McCormick said. \u201cAnd so that\u2019s the contrast: An outsider leader, someone who\u2019s going to bring about change [and a] career politician status quo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republican strategists say they plan to use Casey\u2019s party-line voting record against him on the campaign trail, particularly in relation to Biden\u2019s policies on the economy and immigration. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDave McCormick is running a first-rate campaign and taking nothing for granted as he unifies Republicans throughout Pennsylvania to defeat liberal career politician Bob Casey,\u201d said Philip Letsou, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. \u201cCasey is in the race of his life thanks to his support for Joe Biden\u2019s war on American energy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tom-cotton-on-why-democrats-hate-america-they-forgot-what-reagan-said-in-his-farewell-address\/\" title=\"Tom Cotton On Why Democrats \u2018Hate America\u2019: They Forgot What Reagan Said In His Farewell Address\">open borders agenda<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The border is expected to play a major role in key battleground states this year as Republicans have typically dominated the policy issue and have used it to motivate high voter turnout. Republicans have especially pointed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-pennsylvania-senate-hopeful-meets-with-idf-leaders-in-israel\/\" title=\"GOP PA Senate candidate meets IDF leaders in Israel\">record-high immigration numbers<\/a> under the Biden administration, accusing Democrats of perpetuating a crisis at the southern border. <\/p>\n<p>Casey has pushed back against that narrative, pointing to his voting record in the Senate supporting key border legislation. Instead, the Pennsylvania Democrat sought to blame the GOP for tanking legislation to fix the issue, pointing to Senate Republicans who voted down a bipartisan border deal earlier this year. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey did it again: Senate Republicans who first negotiated and then abandoned the bill that they had negotiated because their former president had asked him to blow it up,\u201d Casey told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Casey pointed to Trump\u2019s opposition to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-border-deal-negotiators-say-theyre-stuck-amid-asylum-and-parole-disputes\/\" title=\"Senate negotiators working on a border deal are facing obstacles due to disagreements over asylum and parole\">border security deal<\/a> as the tipping point for Republicans to block the bill, using a similar strategy to McCormick\u2019s to tie his opponent to his party\u2019s presidential nominee. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks during an event at AFSCME Council 13 offices, March 14, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. For Democrats trying to defend the White House and Senate majority, Casey is emerging as the tip of the spear in trying to reframe the election-year narrative around inflation, a key soft spot in 2024 for Democrats on the all-important voter issue of the economy. (AP Photo\/Marc Levy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe [could] begin to deal with that crisis if Dave McCormick and other Republicans supported us getting that bill passed,\u201d Casey said. \u201cBut he went along with all the MAGA supporters and said he wasn\u2019t going to support the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservative-org-drops-15-million-ad-buy-blasting-sen-testers-immigration-record\/\" title=\"Conservative organization invests  million in ads criticizing Senator Tester's stance on immigration\">toughest border security bill<\/a> in a generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With both candidates employing that strategy, the race between Biden and Trump could become all the more important in the Keystone State in terms of how Casey and McCormick will fare in the Senate race.<\/p>\n<p>Recent polling shows a dead heat between the two candidates in a state that has teetered between Republicans and Democrats over the last several elections. Trump won the state in 2016 before it flipped back to Biden in 2020, who defeated Trump by less than two percentage points.<\/p>\n<p>But Casey also holds an advantage that McCormick can\u2019t tap into: He\u2019s held the Senate seat for 17 years after being elected in 2007. Casey is also the son of former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey Sr., giving the Democratic incumbent deep roots in the state as he runs for a fourth term. <\/p>\n<p>However, GOP strategists say they plan to use Casey\u2019s decades in office against him \u2014 hoping to boost McCormick as a political outsider attempting to oust a career politician.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote if needed. As a result, Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024. If they do not regain the Oval Office, the party must secure two extra Senate seats.<\/p>\n<p>There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of those, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans \u2014 and nearly all competitive seats are held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as they try to maintain their slim majority.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the pivotal 2024 elections, Pennsylvania emerges as a crucial battleground where the fate of the White House, Senate, and House hangs in the balance. Delve into &#8220;Pining for Pennsylvania: Decoding the Keystone State&#8221; by the Washington Examiner, exploring the state&#8217;s demographics, political landscape, and pressing issues shaping its significance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2640,"featured_media":2226869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23264863307344-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2226868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23264863307344-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2226868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2226869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2226868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2226868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2226868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}