McCormick says ‘people are recognizing’ importance of 2024 election as Pennsylvania Senate polls tighten

The Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, attributed his rise in the polls to voters realizing the significance of the upcoming election. 

“People are recognizing that this truly is the most important election of their lifetimes,” he told Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser in an interview Thursday. “And we need leadership in there that’s going to bring about change. It’s a change election.”

He is facing off against incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., who was elected in 2006 and is seeking re-election in the Keystone State for the third time. 

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McCormick tied Casey at 46% in the latest CNN poll of the race. 

While the measure put the two neck and neck, there are some other surveys predicting a win for the Pennsylvania Democrat. A New York Times and Siena College poll of registered voters taken just weeks earlier showed Casey defeating McCormick, 50% to 36%. 

The CNN poll’s tie between the candidates brought the RealClearPolitics aggregated polling average to 48% for Casey and 45% for McCormick, forecasting a tight race less than nine weeks from Election Day. 

Casey and his family enjoy strong roots in Pennsylvania, particularly given his father, former Gov. Bob Casey Sr., was in office several years and was popular among Pennsylvanians. The elder Casey’s positions on issues like gun rights and abortion gave him a moderate reputation, which his son has benefited from as well in statewide elections.

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However, the senator is markedly less moderate than his father. Despite Casey historically using the pro-life moniker to describe himself, he joined his fellow Democrats in condemning the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. 

Casey’s alignment with his party is evidenced in particular by his most recent legislative record. In the 117th Congress, he voted in tandem with President Biden 99% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. 

“I always knew it would be a very close race. Pennsylvania is a tough state,” McCormick told Fox News Digital. He acknowledged that Casey is an incumbent, while the Republican is still somewhat unknown. 

“But people are starting to know who I am,” he said. 

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McCormick explained this is why he thinks the gap between him and Casey in previous measures is closing. 

He further claimed that Pennsylvania “may be the one place where having Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket is worse than President Biden for the Democrats.”

After Biden’s campaign suspension and the last-minute nomination of Vice President Harris at the Democratic National Convention last month, Harris has seen an improvement over Biden’s previous polling numbers. 

However, McCormick predicted she would do worse in Pennsylvania than Biden would have. The Republican cited the fact that Biden has a history in Pennsylvania, which has benefited him in the past. But Harris, he said, is “wildly out of step with Pennsylvanians.” 

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He listed past stances of Harris, including, “banning fracking, giving amnesty to 10 million illegal immigrants, making sure they have federal benefits, mandatory buybacks of guns, elimination of private health insurers.”

Several of the policy positions McCormick outlined have since been reversed by Harris’ campaign, however. 

“Those positions are just out of touch with most Pennsylvanians. And so that’s the dilemma that she has when she comes to the state,” McCormick said.

And Casey has been a “sure thing” for Biden, voting with him nearly all the time, he pointed out. 

“He’ll be a 99% vote for Harris-Walz,” McCormick predicted. 

“Pennsylvanians don’t want a rubber stamp. They want somebody who is going to stand up and fight for what they believe in and what they believe is right for Pennsylvanians,” he said. 

Casey’s campaign was asked by Fox News Digital about the tightening polls and why the gap appeared to be closing between Casey and McCormick, but it did not respond to the question in time for publication.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.