PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and his Republican challenger, Dave McCormick, called in some out-of-state reinforcements for campaign events in the city on Wednesday. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia joined Casey to address a small group of students at Temple University, while Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee provided some backup for McCormick, who spoke in front of the firefighter and paramedics union.
The highly contentious and expensive contest for Casey’s seat could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Democrats currently hold a majority by the narrowest of margins, and a Casey loss could guarantee Republican control.
“I know what it’s like to live in a state where it’s all on the line,” said Warnock, who flipped the U.S. Senate from a Republican majority to a Democratic majority in 2020, and held the majority in 2022. A star of the Democratic Party, Warnock is in demand on the campaign trail, but he told Pennsylvania voters keeping Casey to the Senate is a priority.
“He’s one of my favorite people in the Senate. He is just a committed public servant who has showed up time and time again for the people of his state,” Warnock said.
“He’s been a champion for voting rights. He has been probably the strongest voice on ‘greedflation,’ making sure we lower costs on ordinary goods and we give young people a path to the future.”
Casey told the students their future could depend on the outcome of the 2024 race.
“If my opponent is successful in this race, women will have someone in the Senate blocking their basic reproductive rights. He’ll block voting rights. He’ll block workers rights.”
Casey has been under attack from a barrage of ads funded by the super PAC that supports his opponent, Republican Dave McCormick. Keystone Renewal has spent nearly $50 million, the largest amount of any PAC focused on one candidate.
But Casey says he’s happy to compare their records.
“I’m damn proud of what I’ve done for the people of this state, delivering over and over again for our families and our communities. Here’s his record: him saying, ‘I live in Pennsylvania.’ That was a lie. How the hell do you lie to the people of our state about where you live?”
Casey is seeking a fourth term after cruising to double-digit victories in his last three races. This time around, he predicts a close race, calling McCormick his toughest reelection challenge yet.
McCormick’s campaign bus rolled into Northern Liberties, to address members of Local 22 Philadelphia Firefighter and Paramedics Union, which endorsed him recently. This is McCormick’s second attempt to win one of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats.
"Despite 18 years in public office, Bob Casey has virtually no record of accomplishment. He's been weak and a weak rubber stamp for policies that have been devastating to the working class,” McCormick said.
“And I don't just mean sky-high inflation or the war on fossil fuels. It was Bob Casey, for example, who voted twice against buy-American requirements."
McCormick has slammed Casey throughout the campaign, saying he is out of touch after being in elected office for decades.
“When the bell rings for our members, they show up to help our citizens in their time of need,” said Mike Bresnan, president of the union. “We are confident that Dave McCormick will show up when we need him.”
McCormick said one way he would support first responders is by addressing the fentanyl crisis they face regularly on the streets.
“We lost 116,000 Americans last year from fentanyl — and that fentanyl crisis is hurting us deeply in Pennsylvania. It's hurting us in Kensington, and we need the resources to address that national crisis. That would give a big boost of support to the first responders.”
“Whether it's deaths by fentanyl, whether its crime on the streets, our first responders are under attack,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, who joined McCormick on the campaign trail.
“Dave McCormick is going to work with me in the United States Senate to turn this around to secure our border again, to stop this flow of fentanyl to end this crime and lawlessness, to bring America back, to bring our streets back to a place of safety and prosperity again.”
The Fraternal Order of Police has yet to endorse either candidate. McCormick said, whether it's police officers, firefighters or first responders, he will fight to ensure that those who put their lives on the line get the resources they deserve.