Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick will face off Tuesday in their second and final debate.
Showdowns in key battleground states could determine whether Republicans regain the House majority, with a crucial, highly combustible and costly Senate showdown just days away from voting day. It has been 3 weeks.
And if this head-to-head showdown is anything like the first debate, which quickly became a personal debate as both candidates accused the other of lying, expect more verbal fireworks. .
In the first debate, Casey argued that McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, West Point graduate, Gulf War veteran and Treasury official in the administration of former President George W. Bush, was a wealthy carpetbagger.
Casey and McCormick trade shots in intense first debate of critical Senate runoff
McCormick says Pennsylvania voters recognize the importance of the 2024 election. (Reuters | Associated Press)
Mr. McCormick, who grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania and is the son of the Keystone State's first state university president, is facing a Senate challenge in 2022 and 2024 for owning a home in an affluent area of Connecticut during his tenure as CEO. They are under attack during the parliamentary elections. of Bridgewater Associates.
The narrator of Casey's digital ad, which ran on the eve of the final debate, said McCormick “told voters he lived in Pennsylvania when he actually lived in Connecticut. He hoped he would find a way back.” I hope so.''
And on the campaign trail last weekend, Casey argued, referring to McCormick, that “you shouldn't lie to the people you're trying to represent, especially over something as simple as where you live.” .
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McCormick said in an interview with Fox News Digital in Pittsburgh last week that he is a “seventh generation Pennsylvanian.”
In the first debate, McCormick targeted Casey as a career politician who did nothing.
Casey is the son of a popular former governor and is running for his fourth six-year term in the Senate. He served as Pennsylvania's Comptroller General for 10 years and then as Treasurer until his election to the Senate in 2006.
“In Bob Casey's case, he's a career politician, he's been in office for 30 years, he's shown he's not in charge, he's voted Biden vs. Harris 99% of the time. , there's someone who 99% of the time would vote for Biden and Harris, “Harris Waltz,'' McCormick said in an interview.
Former President Barack Obama greets Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, before speaking at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh on October 10, 2024. . (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
McCormick said he is “a businessman, someone who went to West Point, a military veteran. That kind of independence and leadership is something that is seriously lacking in Pennsylvania.”
“Here's a career politician who's been fighting for his life in elections for 30 years,” McCormick said, pointing to polls showing Casey's lead shrinking. “They're suddenly starting to wake up and the chances of losing are increasing.” I really noticed him. ”
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McCormick was part of a tight race for the 2022 Republican nomination. In the end, he narrowly lost to Mehmet Oz, a well-known doctor and heart surgeon, and secured victory in the primary thanks to former President Trump's late endorsement. Oz ultimately lost the general election to then-Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.
This time, McCormick faced no major opposition in the Republican primary. He was endorsed last year by longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and the Pennsylvania Republican Party, and was encouraged to run by Democrats. National Republican Senatorial Committeethe party's Senate campaign arm.
Former Republican presidential candidate Trump greets Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick during a campaign event in Reading, Pennsylvania, October 9, 2024. (Reuters/Gina Moon)
And Trump endorsed McCormick in March. Since then, Senate Republican candidates have rarely missed an opportunity to join Trump at the former president's numerous rallies in Pennsylvania, the largest of the seven presidential battleground states.
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“For me to win in Pennsylvania, I need to run my own campaign, and I'm running that. But I also need to do two things. We have to be able to get the entire Republican Party to vote in … President Trump has been incredibly helpful in that and I've supported him,” McCormick said.
“But I also need to appeal to independents. I also need to appeal to people who are at risk in places like Allegany County, where we live, in southeastern Pennsylvania, and in the collar counties around Philadelphia.” “We need to be able to do that,” he added. I was able to do that because of the life I've led, and because there were times when I disagreed with President Trump. ”
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