Republican Senate candidate David McCormick is the projected winner of the Pennsylvania Senate race ousting incumbent Senator Bob Casey in a surprise upset after trailing him for months.
But with thousands of ballots yet to be counted, Casey has not conceded yet.
A McCormick win is a sign of Donald Trump‘s influence in the battleground state that gave the now President-elect a major win on Election night propelling him back to the White House.
Republicans looked to pick up the seat in the crucial swing state as they move to expand their new Senate majority.
McCormick’s race against the three-term incumbent was one of the most expensive in the country.
Republican Senate candidate David McCormick at his election night party
Earlier Thursday, McCormick’s campaign said they anticipated a victory despite the razor-thin difference in votes cast for the candidates, and they believed McCormick would be the next senator of the Keystone State.
As of Thursday afternoon, he was leading Casey by just over 31,000 votes when the Associated Press called the race.
But the Casey campaign pushed back on McCormick celebrating a win just yet.
‘As the Pennsylvania Secretary of State said this afternoon, there are tens of thousands of ballots across the Commonwealth still to count, which includes provisional ballots, military and overseas ballots, and mail ballots,’ said spokesperson Maddy McDaniel in a statement.
Election officials said there were still at least 100,000 ballots to be counted as of 5pm ET on Thursday.
Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman also weighed in, posting on X: ‘We still have tens of thousands of votes to be counted across the Commonwealth.’
He blasted Republicans in a separate post: ‘The party that doesn’t like the outcome, they claim it’s voter fraud. The same party doesn’t want to count every vote, and claim a “victory” in our Senate race. That party can chill the F out because we are gonna count every last one in PA.’
McCormick first ran for Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, but he lost the primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who had the support of Donald Trump.
He went on to run again and won the primary. He and Trump set aside differences and became allies on the campaign trail in the state.
The businessman previously served as CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds as well as in the Bush administration.
While he was born in Pennsylvania and raised near Pittsburgh, he faced criticism on the campaign trail for running in the Keystone State while living in Connecticut.
He has a residence in Connecticut, which he lived at up until around the time he started running for political office but also owns a home in Pittsburgh.
McCormick ran as a job creator and close ally of Israel while criticizing his opponent of not strongly condemning anti-Israel protesters as well as trying to tie him to President Biden.
Senate Candidate David McCormick on election night with his wife Dina Powell
Republican Senate candidate Davide McCormick with former Gov. Nikki Haley on October 30
Casey has represented Pennsylvania since 2007 with deep ties to the state he represents. His dad was once governor there.
He ran as a candidate who would protect access to abortion rights, health care, Social Security and Medicare while slamming his opponent as a wealthy out of stater who will give tax cuts to billionaires.
While the Pennsylvania presidential race has remained razor-thin, Casey managed to maintain a small lead over McCormick throughout the election season in the polls.
He also had the backing of some heavyweight supporters including President Obama, who came out to campaign for him in the state during the final stretch.
Senator Bob Casey speaking at a campaign rally on October 28 in Philadelphia
Casey supporters hug as they leave his election night watch party in Scranton, PA before the race is called
The Republican Senate campaign arm congratulated the GOP victory on Thursday.
‘Congratulations to Dave McCormick on his incredible victory,’ said NRSC Chair Steve Daines in a statement.
‘Dave built a best-in-class campaign operation, ended a political dynasty, and will now use his considerable skills to bring bold new leadership to the United States Senate on behalf of all Pennsylvanians,’ he added.
