Senate Republicans picked up a key seat Thursday afternoon when Trump-backed businessman Dave McCormick defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey in a closely-watched Pennsylvania race.
The Associated Press (AP) called the race for McCormick, who was leading by a little more than 30,000 votes.
Casey released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, after the AP’s call, pointing to some 100,000 votes he said have yet to be counted.
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"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. This is what Pennsylvania deserves," he wrote in part.
McCormick told "The Ingraham Angle" Thursday he believes he was elected because voters "want change."
"I think they represented that desire for change by electing President Trump. I think the same with me. They're deeply distressed by the skyrocketing prices, the wide open border, the crime in our cities, the war on fossil fuels, and they want change and common sense leadership," he said.
McCormick’s 2024 campaign was his second attempt at gaining a seat in the U.S. Senate. He lost the Republican Senate primary in 2022 to celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The West Point graduate told Fox News host Laura Ingraham he’s "honored" to serve the people of Pennsylvania.
"I'm so excited. It's a critical time for our country, and I'm honored to represent the great people of Pennsylvania — regardless of party, by the way, represent, you know, Democrats, Republicans, Independents," he said. "My job is to represent every single one of them."
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McCormick added that he believes there’s no "mathematical path" for Casey to win based on the outstanding votes.
"I lost an election by 900 votes, so I know — I know you got to process it. I know Sen. Casey's got to process this, and he's been in elected office for 30 years. His family's had a great history of public service, and so, you know, he's going to have to find his way to the right answer," he said. "But I think the math is indisputable, and I think that's why the AP called it and why we're confident moving forward to start preparing to be the next senator from Pennsylvania."
The Fox News Decision Desk projected Tuesday night that Republicans would flip the Senate, taking control for the first time in three years.
