HARRISBURG, Pa. — Sen. Bob Casey raised eyebrows Thursday night during a debate with Republican challenger Dave McCormick, but the Scranton native weighed in on which Democrat is better for Pennsylvania, and vice-versa Kamala Harris. He declined to comment on whether he preferred the president or former President Biden.
Casey initially dodged ABC27 host Dennis Owens' question, but then visibly bit her lip before responding when pressed.
“Oh, we don't know, Dennis. We'll never know the answer to that,” the Democrat said. “The voters will make the decision.”
Of course, the decision of the roughly 14.5 million Americans who voted for Mr. Biden (also from Scranton) in this year's Democratic primary was ignored.
The showdown between Casey and McCormick in Harrisburg was the first of three closely scheduled debates. They agreed to meet again in Philadelphia on October 15th and again at an unspecified date in Pittsburgh.
McCormick tried to portray Casey as “underdog” and “liberal” in their first matchup, compared the senator's vote record to Biden and Harris, and repeatedly criticized the incumbent on his campaign's opposition website. It was advertised. CaseyLies.com.
“You should ask yourself why a senator with an 18-year track record who should be able to run on that record has been making negative attacks on me throughout the campaign, most of which have been lies. '' McCormick said.
Casey primarily focused his attacks on McCormick's past residence in Connecticut, where he was CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.
When Casey cited events from August 2023 Associated Press article When McCormick claimed he lied about living in Pennsylvania, the businessman fired back.
“The fact that he had an Associated Press reporter verify his lie or reinforce his lie does not mean it is true,” the Republican responded.
McCormick, who returned to Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood to run for U.S. Senate in 2022, grew up in Bloomsburg.
Both men accused each other of not standing up to the party's more “radical” factions, particularly on border security.
Mr. McCormick, who has visited the U.S.-Mexico border twice, criticized Mr. Casey for not going at all.
“Senator, you talk a lot about the border. I encourage you to go,” McCormick said. “I've been to the border more times than any senator or border czar.”
“I think Mr. McCormick knows more about Border Security than the Border Patrol. I don't think so,” Casey retorted.
Casey also criticized former President Donald Trump for not standing up to McCormick when he tried to persuade Senate Republicans to reject a bipartisan border bill.
“Leadership would be about taking over the leadership of your party and supporting the bill,” Casey said.
McCormick was not serving in government when Republican senators rejected the bill earlier this year.
At an upcoming Americans for Prosperity watch party, attendees praised McCormick's performance.
Bill Gramlich, 60, a self-employed home improvement contractor, has volunteered with AFP Action in Pennsylvania for the past eight years, and this year he volunteered on McCormick's behalf.
Gramlich told the Post that he feels this election is different and that McCormick is “the better candidate.” (Controversial Dr. Mehmet Oz lost to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman in 2022.)
“He's in good spirits and people are very excited about him running in the race against Bob Casey,” he said.
“His credentials are really, really impressive. He's a first-rate leader,” he added, citing the West Point graduate's business accomplishments and service as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.
AFP Pennsylvania Senior Counsel Emily Green says her campaign team of more than 230 people aims to knock on 1 million doors by Election Day, and has already knocked on more than 750,000 doors since April. He said he was knocking.
She said she is calling for change because “nobody feels prosperous in the current economic climate.”
“They want something different,” she says. “They actually want to find prosperity, and they're not getting that through Sen. Bob Casey's leadership.”
