Sen. Bob Casey hopes to spend six more years fighting for Pennsylvania families

Pennsylvania’s 2024 U.S. Senate race could determine which party controls the chamber going forward. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. is determined to make sure he will continue to represent the Keystone State for another six years.

After serving stints as Pennsylvania’s auditor general and treasurer, Casey was elected to the Senate in 2006, promising to “focus on creating jobs, restoring fiscal responsibility, lowering the cost of health care, improving education, safeguarding Social Security, protecting our environment, and strengthening homeland security.”

Casey has authored or co-sponsored more than 100 laws. His Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act in 2013 forced colleges and universities to be transparent about sexual assaults on campus and boosted protections for victims. His 2014 ABLE Act allowed Americans with disabilities the option to save money without risking losing federal disability benefits. His Global Food Security Act authorizations have helped to address the issue of hunger around the world.

Casey has backed legislation to require background checks for gun purchases, to restore the right to choose an abortion, to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans, and to raise the minimum wage.

With votes in favor of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Joe Biden’s historic 2022 climate and health care investment package, Casey has helped to lower the cost of medications and boost clean energy.

A map on his Senate website highlights more than 1,000 investments in Pennsylvania he has helped deliver since the start of the Biden administration. These include funding for the Montgomery Lock and Dam, for fixing highways and bridges, for expanding public transportation, and for cleaning up orphaned gas and oil wells.

He opposed President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax law, which slashed tax rates for corporations and wealthy Americans while raising taxes for many Pennsylvania working families.

In April, Casey announced that he will seek a fourth term in 2024, saying, “There’s still more work to cut through the gridlock, stand up to powerful corporate special interests, and make the lives of hardworking Pennsylvanians a little bit easier.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee responded by immediately releasing a false ad that baselessly accused Casey of corruption.

The NRSC has been working for months to recruit former Connecticut hedge fund executive Dave McCormick to challenge Casey in Pennsylvania, even though McCormick appears to reside out of state. McCormick, who narrowly lost a 2022 Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary to New Jersey-based television host Mehmet Oz, is staffing up and raising money for another run through a super PAC, according to the Washington Examiner.

McCormick’s far-right views may not be a good match for Pennsylvania voters. He said in an April 2022 debate that he would support a nearly total abortion ban: “I believe in the very rare instances, there should be exceptions for the life of the mother.” A spokesperson told the Philadelphia Inquirer in June that McCormick now also backs exceptions for incest and rape.

Polls show the majority of Pennsylvanians believe abortion should be legal most or all of the time.

In March, McCormick said in a radio interview that the COVID pandemic showed parents “that teachers were making decisions that were not in the best interests of their children. And that’s why we’ve got to break the back of our teachers’ unions and our public school system and give kids choice and get parents more involved.”

In his 2022 race, McCormick also came under fire for repeatedly falsely claiming to be an “Army ranger” despite not having earned the title and for lying about his businesses’ role in outsourcing jobs.

Other Republicans, virtually all of whom also back an abortion ban, may also seek their party’s nomination.

Republican strategists and politicians told both Politico and the Associated Press earlier this year that Casey will be difficult to beat.

According to the Cook Political Report, the race is likely to be competitive but leans slightly Democratic.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.