HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick had a simple message for military veterans in Pennsylvania’s state capital on Saturday.
“Leadership is the difference between our country falling off a cliff or moving in the right direction right now,” McCormick told veterans attending the Pennsylvania Legion’s 105th Convention at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
McCormick, a hedge fund executive turned Senate candidate, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1987 and served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, seeing combat in Iraq during the Gulf War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star and retired with the rank of captain.
While avoiding strong political statements, McCormick drew on his own experience, telling the crowd of combat veterans that no other senator would support them more than he did.
“As a military veteran, I can say with confidence that there is no one who can stand up more strongly and clearly for our military and veterans than me,” he said.
McCormick said the military has “lost its combat focus” in recent years.
To reverse this trend and strengthen America’s military, McCormick proposed reforming veterans’ benefits to help educated veterans compete in the modern economy, as well as improving the VA’s mental health care program.
McCormick said about half of the 22 veterans who take their own lives each day are not receiving mental health treatment.
McCormick also spoke about his experience at a rally in western Pennsylvania last Saturday where former President Donald Trump was shot.
McCormick, who spoke about two hours before Trump took the stage, said he was about 25 feet away from the former president, but that firefighter Corey Comperatore was another 25 feet behind him when he was shot.
McCormick said Trump had shown “strength” after the shooting by standing and raising his fist, reassuring the crowd.
“Many of you know what it’s like to be in a situation where bullets are flying,” McCormick told veterans at the rally, speaking from his own experience.
“In such a situation, 99 people out of 100 remain down. Very few get up. [Trump] He stood up.
After his 18-minute speech, McCormick told the Post: Supported by the state’s largest police unionThe Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police is a group that has supported Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) and other Democrats in the past.
“The main reason is [for endorsing me] “They are deeply concerned that our community and our leaders, particularly Senator Casey, are not supporting law enforcement,” McCormick said.
“His position is out of whack.”
Incumbent Casey still leads McCormick in opinion polls, but the race between the two is expected to be the nation’s most expensive Senate race this year.
