Casey Yet to Concede in PA Senate Race, McCormick to Attend Senate Orientation

The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) called the Pennsylvania Senate race for Republican Dave McCormick on November 7, but Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has yet to concede.

The Details: As of November 13, McCormick leads Casey by around 30,000 votes, with 99% of the vote in. Casey argued he still has a potential path to victory through outstanding votes that include provisional, military, and overseas ballots. McCormick has been making media appearances as the Senator-elect since AP called the race. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) initially refused McCormick from attending Senate orientation despite the AP’s call, though he has since changed his decision.

For Context: Outlets like The New York Times (Lean Left bias), CNN (Lean Left bias), NBC News (Lean Left bias), and The Hill (Center bias) have yet to call the race, but Fox News (Right bias) called the race shortly after AP. Casey has been a senator since 2007 and is the son of former Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey. Shortly after its call, the AP defended its process.

Key Statements: Casey said on November 12, “Across our Commonwealth, close to 7 million people cast their votes in a free and fair election. Our county election officials will finish counting those votes, just like they do in every election.” McCormick declared victory shortly after the AP’s call and filed a lawsuit to challenge thousands of provisional ballots from Philadelphia.

How the Media Covered It: Casey’s lack of concession was covered more by the right as its own story, though outlets from the left and center often noted it in other coverage.