Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania has criticized Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) for not doing enough to secure the southern border at the same time that a fentanyl overdose epidemic is wreaking havoc in the battleground state.
in New Advertisement The incident, which took place after Labor Day, prompted Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott to reflect on losing his son to a fentanyl overdose.
“With a secure border, there's a good chance my son would still be alive. We can't bring back the people we've lost, but we can remove weak politicians like Bob Casey who allowed this to happen,” he said.
The 30-second ad, purchased for $2.2 million, will air on television and digital across the state.
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Senator Casey is being criticized by voters for inaction on the border in a new ad from his opponent, Dave McCormick. (Reuters)
With the presidential election less than 10 weeks away, Labor Day is the day voters traditionally begin to commit to a candidate, according to insiders. Though McCormick has trailed Casey in recent polls, GOP strategists expect voters will start to pay more attention and support the GOP.
Last month's poll Quinnipiac UniversityAmong Pennsylvania voters, Casey beat his opponent 52% to 44%.
“McCormick will be running against a low-profile, highly popular incumbent in a highly-anticipated and crucial Senate race,” said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac University.
Notably, McCormick has made significant progress in closing the gap with Casey. Real Clear Politics The Pennsylvania Senate race average gives the Democratic incumbent 49.3% of the vote and McCormick 42.8%.
Businessman and politician Dave McCormick speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
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But a recent Fox News poll showed that immigration is not only important nationally, but in Pennsylvania as well. In a July survey, Pennsylvania voters were the second most likely to say immigration was the most important issue in the upcoming election, at 16%. Most likely to say the most important issue was the economy, at 39%.
The presidential contest in the key battleground state is expected to influence the Senate election as well, putting McCormick in a position to benefit from former President Trump's possible win in Pennsylvania.
A July Fox News poll found President Trump and Vice President Harris tied in approval ratings in the Keystone State.
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A bundle of blue pills containing fentanyl seized at the border. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
In response to the recent attacks on Sen. Casey's immigration record, Casey campaign spokesperson Kate Smart told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Casey has worked closely with law enforcement to stop the distribution of fentanyl and passed a bipartisan bill to impose sanctions on Chinese fentanyl manufacturers, while David McCormick has invested millions of dollars into China's largest fentanyl manufacturer and even opposed a bipartisan border agreement that would have helped prevent fentanyl smuggling across the border.”
Smart pointed to the fact that, according to Department of Labor public records, McCormick served as CEO of Bridgewater Associates from 2020 to 2022, and that as of 2021 the firm had invested approximately $1.7 million in Chinese company Humanwell through seven hedge funds.
Harris was “positive” about adding seats to the Supreme Court during the 2019 presidential election.
Dave McCormick (Getty Images)
However, the pharmaceutical company produces medical narcotics and is not one of the companies the United States has identified as a manufacturer of precursors to fentanyl that are illegally transported across the southern border.
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According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “[I]Illegal fentanyl is primarily produced in clandestine laboratories overseas, smuggled into the United States through Mexico, and distributed across the country and sold on the illegal drug market.”
The agency points to illegally produced fentanyl as the primary cause of a significant increase in synthetic opioid overdose deaths.
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