Republican challenger Dave McCormick has declared victory over Democratic Senator Bob Casey in a race to flip his Pennsylvania seat, but the race remains close enough that it may trigger an automatic recount.
McCormick's communications director, Elizabeth Gregory, said in a press release that he has a lead of just over 30,000 votes and that the remaining votes to count will not break strongly enough for Casey to make up the difference.
"While votes continue to be counted, any way you slice it, Dave McCormick will be the next United States Senator from Pennsylvania," Gregory said, pointing to Cambria County as one area that could provide a firewall against a last-minute surge from Casey.
Cambria County suffered an Election Day setback because of a voting system malfunction, resulting in a necessary hand count, according to The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown.
The Pennsylvania government website reported the totals as 3,337,473 for McCormick and 3,305,970 for Casey as of 1:30 p.m. ET on November 7. The Associated Press on Wednesday wrote that Casey still has a "narrow path to victory" with 97 percent of the vote counted.
NBC News reported that roughly 181,000 votes remain to be counted, but three independent candidates have a combined 2.5 percent of the vote and could continue to influence the race.
Should the race remain within less than or equal to .5 percent of the total vote count, it would trigger an automatic recount, according to state law. Candidates can also request a recount, with no requirement for a specific margin and no set deadline for completion.
In a statement issued Thursday, Casey spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said: "Yesterday, the vote margin shrunk by 50,000 votes and this race is now within half a point, the threshold for automatic recounts in Pennsylvania.
"With tens of thousands more votes to be counted, we are committed to ensuring every Pennsylvanian's vote is heard and confident that at the end of that process, Senator Casey will be re-elected."
Casey, the son of two-term Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey, has held his seat since 2007, while McCormick comes from a military background and served in President George W. Bush's administration as under secretary of Treasury and deputy national security adviser, according to his campaign website.
McCormick ran for the Senate in 2022 but lost to Mehmet Oz, who was backed by Donald Trump. Democrat John Fetterman defeated Oz in the general election by five points.
Republicans regained control of the Senate after flipping two seats as of Thursday.
English (US) ·