Pennsylvania Senate race heads to recount as McCormick leads Casey

The Pennsylvania Senate race is heading for a recount as Republican Dave McCormick continues to lead Sen. Bob Casey (R-Pa.) in what would be a crucial win for the GOP.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt made the announcement on Wednesday.

McCormick’s lead has hovered around 30,000 votes, putting it squarely in the needed range for an automatic recount. According to a Pennsylvania statute, any statewide race featuring a win by one-half of a percentage point or less must be recounted via order of the secretary of the commonwealth.

Casey’s campaign has refused to concede despite multiple outlets calling the race for McCormick, including The Associated Press. Decision Desk HQ has not yet issued a call in the contest.

“The number of provisional ballots expected from areas that favor Senator Casey, like Philadelphia and its suburbs, is further proof that this race is too close to be called,” Maddy McDaniel, a Casey spokesperson, said on Friday. “As the McCormick campaign admitted in their own lawsuit this morning, the counting of these ballots could have an 'impact on the outcome of the election.'"

“With more than 100,000 ballots still left to count, we will continue to make sure Pennsylvanians' voices are heard,” she added.

McCormick on Friday delivered a victory speech in Pittsburgh, telling supporters that it is time to “move forward on the people’s business.” He also pointed to his own recount loss to Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Senate GOP primary, which he lost by less than 1,000 votes.

“We knew on election night we had won, because the math was clear and there's no way for Senator Casey to win,” he said. “But Senator Casey is going to have to work through this, and so I wish him the best and his family the best and thank them for their service. But we've got to move on to changing the direction of the country.”

McCormick’s win would give Republicans a crucial 53rd seat in the upper chamber.