Incumbent Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday conceded in the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania to Republican challenger Dave McCormick.
In an email from his campaign, Casey, a Democrat, said he called McCormick to congratulate him on his win in the race.
“As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last,” the email said in part.
Casey acknowledged that the race was one of the closest in the state’s history and the ongoing legal battles over vote counting.
“And we stood up against efforts to silence and disenfranchise voters in every corner of the Commonwealth. Thanks to our work in the courts, nearly a thousand eligible voters in Philadelphia will have their votes counted, despite efforts to throw them out,” he said in the email.
McCormick followed up with a statement thanking Casey.
“Senator Bob Casey dedicated his career to bettering our commonwealth. Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice,” he said in an email from his campaign.
A recount for the race is currently ongoing because the unofficial vote tally was within a 0.5% margin, which triggers an automatic recount. Results of the recount are expected to be shared by the state on Wednesday.
This is the fourth time the state has conducted a recount in an election since 2004. None of those times did the recount change the outcome.
McCormick gave a victory speech earlier this month after the Associated Press projected him winning the race. His campaign filed a lawsuit challenging provisional ballots in Philadelphia that are still being counted. The state Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that provisional ballots are a valid way to correct mistakes on mail-in ballots that have errors on them such as no signature or no secrecy envelope.
Sen. John Fetterman, who also represents the Keystone State, said in a statement that Casey’s legacy “is a better Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, thanked Casey for his service on social media and said he called McCormick Thursday to congratulate him.
“I look forward to Dave’s leadership in the U.S. Senate, and to partnering with him to get stuff done for our great Commonwealth,” Shapiro said on X.
Casey, a Scranton native, served three terms in the U.S. Senate. He was previously state auditor general and treasurer.
McCormick, born in Washington, Pennsylvania, and raised in Bloomsburg, was CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. He sat on former President Donald Trump’s Defense Advisory Board and served in top positions under President George W. Bush.
