Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has finally conceded his race to Republican challenger Dave McCormick, which comes after he repeatedly refused to concede even though the race had been called for McCormick by numerous outlets, including Decision Desk HQ.
Casey, who has served as one of Pennsylvania’s senators since 2007, desperately tried to cling to his Senate seat for the past two weeks. Curiously, he waited until after Democrats in Bucks County were forced to stop counting illegal ballots before he conceded. Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia (D) famously bragged about breaking the law to count illegal ballots, despite a prior Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling barring officials from counting improper ballots, stating during a hearing that “we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws any time they want.”
She has since been forced to backtrack after another ruling from the court and significant backlash from local residents, issuing a desperate apology in a hearing that was filled with voters vowing to sue her, force her resignation, or primary her. Of course, it may just be a coincidence that Casey finally decided to concede the race after the Democrats’ efforts to count illegal ballots failed.
In a video published to social media on Thursday, Casey revealed that he had already called McCormick to congratulate him.
“I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on winning his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate,” Casey began, going on to praise the recount process that he demanded and is still underway.
The outgoing Democrat senator went on to say that he was “proud of the work” that has been done since election day to ensure the democratic process, and also thanked everyone who worked on the recount effort.
During my time in office, I have been guided by an inscription on the Finance Building in Harrisburg: “All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.”
Thank you for your trust in me for all these years, Pennsylvania. It has been the honor of my lifetime. pic.twitter.com/RSXEFwdge8
— Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) November 21, 2024
McCormick’s victory will give Republicans a 53-seat majority in the U.S. Senate compared to Democrats’ 47 seats. He was the clear winner on election night, as McCormick received a little over 49% of the vote compared to Casey’s 48.5% when 98% of the vote had been counted, and the remaining votes came from areas that were more likely to lean toward McCormick.
Despite this, on Election Night, Casey declared: “I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election. It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”
Meanwhile, social media users celebrated the concession while calling out Casey for his antics.
Conservative activist Scott Presler, who led one of the largest get-out-the-vote initiatives in Pennsylvania history, wrote: “It was an honor helping to defeat you & elect future Senator Dave McCormick. Your election denialism did serious damage to democrats in Bucks County, as well as [Democrat Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiro’s image. We won’t forget that you tried to steal the election. Congratulations, President Trump.”
It was an honor helping to defeat you
& elect future Senator Dave McCormick.
Your election denialism did serious damage to democrats in Bucks County,
as well as Shapiro’s image.
We won’t forget that you tried to steal the election.
Congratulations, President Trump.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) November 21, 2024
Others took a more hardline approach, with one popular user writing: “You need to be imprisoned for conspiring with local officials to violate the PA Supreme Court’s order disallowing the counting of illegal mail-in ballots.”
You need to be imprisoned for conspiring with local officials to violate the PA Supreme Court's order disallowing the counting of illegal mail-in ballots.
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 21, 2024
