The Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) is heading for a recount. Despite trailing by over 29,000 votes, Casey has refused to concede, with Democrats pursuing legal action to challenge the results.
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced that the razor-thin margin of 0.43% between McCormick and Casey has triggered an automatic statewide recount. Under Pennsylvania law, any race with a margin under 0.5% must undergo a recount, which is set to begin on Nov. 20. Counties have until Nov. 26 to complete the process and report results by Nov. 27.
The recount will cost taxpayers more than $1 million, according to the Department of State. Meanwhile, questions loom over the integrity of the process as Democratic attorney Marc Elias leads efforts to challenge the results. Critics argue that Elias’ strategy focuses on including ballots that may not comply with state election laws, sparking accusations of attempting to undermine the election outcome.
Republicans and election integrity advocates are sounding alarms over the potential inclusion of “illegal ballots.” The Wall Street Journal editorial board described the situation as a blatant attempt to “steal the seat for incumbent Democrat Bob Casey,” accusing Democrats of engaging in “election denial.”
McCormick, who leads with 48.93% of the vote compared to Casey’s 48.5%, has already been declared the winner by the Associated Press and other outlets. Despite this, Democrats are pressing for contested ballots to be counted, raising concerns about the precedent such actions could set for future elections.
The recount, set to conclude the day before Thanksgiving, will determine whether Pennsylvania’s voters see their choice for Senate upheld or if prolonged legal battles will cast doubt on the final outcome. Conservatives argue that this fight is yet another example of Democrats pushing to count ballots that fall outside established election rules, further eroding trust in the process.
