The Pennsylvania Senate race between incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick is moving to a statewide recount Wednesday, with counties still working to finalize ballot counts.
The campaigns are disputing which ballots should be included, according to The Associated Press. Casey declined to waive his right to a recount by Wednesday’s deadline, prompting Secretary of State Al Schmidt to announce a recount due to the narrow margin. McCormick currently leads by roughly 28,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million counted, falling within Pennsylvania’s 0.5% threshold for an automatic recount.
Counties must begin the recount by Nov. 20, aiming to conclude by Nov. 26, AP reported. Former election officials expect minimal changes to the results, given the scale of votes involved, but, as the recount looms, McCormick has already attended Senate orientation in Washington.
Meanwhile, Casey’s campaign manager accused McCormick’s team of trying to disenfranchise voters, AP reported. Casey campaign attorney Adam Bonin cited a coordinated Republican effort to challenge Democratic provisional ballots, delaying the process.
NEW: Dave McCormick, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in PA, discussed the state of his race against incumbent Dem. Sen. Bob Casey and the key issues on voters’ minds ahead of Election Day in a Thursday interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. pic.twitter.com/MFBwycxVct
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 18, 2024
“What we are seeing this year is more organized, more disciplined, more directed and more comprehensive than what we saw in 2020,” Bonin said.
McCormick’s advisor Mark Harris countered that Democratic counties are slowing the count by withholding processed ballot totals, and he defended the campaign’s challenges as legally sanctioned. “This is clearly an effort to use lawfare to chip away at our lead,” Harris said. “This is not going to work. Dave McCormick is the senator-elect and will be the senator.”
County officials across Pennsylvania spent Wednesday processing thousands of provisional ballots while addressing legal challenges from both campaigns, AP reported. Some disputes may escalate, as seen in Bucks County, where Democratic election officials decided to count over 400 mail-in ballots lacking handwritten dates, a move Republicans continue to challenge in court.
AP previously projected McCormick as the winner over incumbent Casey in Pennsylvania’s crucial Senate race with McCormick leading at 49% to Casey’s 48.5%. The tight margin may lead to an automatic recount under state law. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declined to invite McCormick to the Senate’s November orientation, stating McCormick’s race remains undecided, according to Politico.
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