Sen. Bob Casey's refusal to concede the election is hurting Pennsylvanians.
Republican Dave McCormick defeated the three-term incumbent in an upset a week ago.
Mr. Casey initially refused to concede the election until the federal government had hand-counted all Nov. 5 ballots from Republican-majority Cambria County.
Computer problems on election day necessitated paper ballots and hand tabulation, and as votes were counted and recorded in Cumbria on Wednesday and Thursday, Mr McCormick's lead widened, with even The Associated Press The war was called off.
Casey then turned to the solicitation of provisional ballots as a basis for refusing to accept the reality of defeat.
In Pennsylvania, obtaining a provisional ballot is a lengthy and difficult process that can vary from county to county.
As of this writing, Mr. McCormick maintains a lead of approximately 35,000 votes over Mr. Casey.
And while hope springs eternal, the number of provisional ballots yet to be counted and Mr. McCormick's consistently large margins across the commonwealth lead to an inescapable conclusion: The powerful Sen. Casey I struck out.
Once all provisional votes are counted, Dave McCormick will maintain a significant lead.
Under Pennsylvania law, if the margin is less than 0.5%, an automatic recount will be initiated at a cost to taxpayers of approximately $2 million.
But the costs aren't just financial. It would also take valuable time and attention away from Mr. McCormick, who should be focused on ensuring the best possible transition for Pennsylvanians.
So why do our senior senators refuse to concede?
Perhaps this is all about money. Because throughout the post-election period, Casey and the Democratic National Committee sent out a flurry of fundraising emails imploring potential donors. To protect our rights and freedoms, we need your immediate help to ensure that every last vote in this Pennsylvania Senate election is counted. ”
Given that Mr. Casey sent this email on Saturday, Nov. 9, his refusal to concede is likely to give the senators and the DNC more money to pay their bills and clear campaign debt. It may be helpful.
Notably, nowhere in this predatory email is there any mention of vote counts, remaining provisional ballots, or anything mathematically impossible other than that Dave McCormick is a Pennsylvania senator. This is not mentioned.
Casey has two former partners in this race to the bottom: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic “super lawyer” Marc Elias.
Yes, that Marc Elias, the man behind the Steele dossier, two years of Russiagate, and a reputation for wasting time and extorting money from election-related lawsuits.
Mr. Schumer was complicit in this folly by first refusing to invite Sen.-elect McCormick to orientation for new senators, and Mr. Casey's refusal to concede is what really hurts Pennsylvanians. Here it is.
As someone who has twice run for statewide office in Pennsylvania and supported Republican candidates and elected officials for more than 20 years, I know that public servants are, first and foremost, human beings.
The first impressions, shared experiences, and conversations that are part of orientation are critical to the incoming senators looking to represent us in Washington.
Relationships have a huge impact on everyone, but especially in politics.
McCormick's attempt to refuse to participate in orientation was a distraction, fearing that it would thwart McCormick's opportunity to advocate among his new colleagues for laws and policies that would benefit Pennsylvania.
Schumer's initial refusal to allow McCormick to participate in this important rite of passage was therefore an insult to all Pennsylvanians.
Casey's refusal to put aside his own hurt and support McCormick's transition to the Senate is equally an insult to his constituents, for whom he has served in statewide office for nearly 30 years.
When McCormick misses out on important staff hires and important committee assignments because of Casey's actions, his narrow-mindedness turns from furious to vindictive and ultimately damaging.
For the sake of his own legacy, and more importantly, for the good of our fellow Pennsylvanians, Casey must do the right thing and make concessions.
After a long and grueling campaign that tested each man's character under intense scrutiny, Pennsylvanians chose between Bob Casey and Dave McCormick on Election Day.
Casey's behavior is further evidence of why a majority of Pennsylvanians decided that McCormick was the right person to represent the Union going forward.
Jeff Bartos is a Republican strategist from Pennsylvania.
Twitter: @Jeff_Bartos
