Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) weighed in on fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's (D) concession in Thursday's controversial Senate race, calling him “Pennsylvania's best and best.” “Senator,” he praised.
Fetterman's reaction came just minutes after Casey, a third-term senator, conceded to Republican challenger Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania's recounted Senate race.
“This shocked me,” Fetterman said in a statement Thursday. “It has been an honor to have Bob Casey as a colleague, friend and mentor. His legacy goes beyond the state of Pennsylvania.”
Fetterman, a junior senator from Pennsylvania, praised Casey's work in Congress.
“During nearly 20 years of service to Pennsylvania, he unassumingly fought for working Pennsylvanians, labor unions, rural communities, seniors, people with disabilities and all of us,” Fetterman said. Ta. “Bob Casey was, is and always will be Pennsylvania's greatest senator.”
The re-election bids for Casey and businessman McCormick were subject to a recount after they received less than one-half of 1% of the vote.
The Associated Press called the Republican challenger race two days after Election Day. Fetterman criticized the Associated Press for calling the contest, arguing that the news agency “should not call this election until every Pennsylvanian has counted their vote.”
Hill's partner, Decision Desk Headquarters, called for McCormick to run a week ago. In 2022, Mr. McCormick lost the Keystone State Senate Republican primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz lost to Fetterman in the general election.
Mr. Casey's concession came days after the state began the recount process. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday ordered that counties cannot count absentee or mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect dates.
The Democratic incumbent, the son of the state's former popular governor, said he called McCormick on Thursday “to congratulate him on being chosen to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate.”
“Once the first vote count is complete, Pennsylvanians will move forward knowing their voice has been heard, whether their vote is counted first or last. “We can do that,” Casey said.
