Sen. Bob Casey, David McCormick poised to square off in Harrisburg debate

Benjamin Kail, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 2, 2024

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WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican businessman David McCormick will take the debate stage in Pennsylvania's capital Thursday night as the parties fight over control of the U.S. Senate.

One of the most competitive and costly races in the country, the matchup pits three-term incumbent Mr. Casey, a former state treasurer and auditor general, against a former hedge fund CEO, Army veteran and George W. Bush administration official Mr. McCormick. The closed-set debate in Harrisburg starts at 8 p.m and will be hosted by NewsNation and moderated by ABC27 anchor and State Capitol reporter, Dennis Owens.

Mr. McCormick narrowly lost a 2022 GOP Senate primary to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who later lost in the general election to Democrat John Fetterman. The Republican has called for new leadership in Washington and linked Mr. Casey to Biden-Harris administration policies he says have undermined the country's economy and national security.

The Casey campaign, meanwhile, has painted Mr. McCormick as a "Connecticut mega-millionaire" out of touch with Pennsylvania voters, while tying him to the polarizing figure atop the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Dr. Oz two years ago but has consistently urged supporters to back Mr. McCormick at Keystone State events in recent months.

At a Trump rally in Erie on Sunday, Mr. McCormick thanked Trump for returning to the bellwether region and blasted Mr. Casey as a weak, liberal "career politician."

Vince Galko, a Republican strategist based in Northeastern Pennsylvania, said the Washington, Pa.-born Mr. McCormick should take critiques over his ties to Connecticut — where he joined hedge fund Bridgewater Associates in 2009 — "off the table early by pressing Casey on how much time he spends in [Washington] D.C. compared to Pennsylvania, and how many properties does he own compared to the average Pennsylvanian."

"Dave McCormick needs to pull some political jujitsu on Bob Casey," Mr. Galko said, adding that he should "keep the focus on the issues parents — especially moms — care about," including safe schools and access to childcare.

Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive who grew up in Washington County, said the debate is likely to play out like the barrage of back-and-forth advertising so far in the race — but with a slightly more polite tone.

"At the end of the day, it's going to be a respectful debate," he said. "I think that, sure, the attacks are going to be sharp, but this is not going to be Trump and [Vice President Kamala] Harris."

He described Mr. Casey, the son of a governor, as an articulate incumbent who "knows his stuff" and whose name "carries a lot of weight and credibility. But as people get older, some of that dissipates."

Mr. McCormick, he said, is likely to be in attack mode on Democratic policies he claims are failures. But Mr. Ceisler said the Republican — who missed out on a Trump endorsement in 2022 after refusing to engage in the former president's election denial — remains "weighted down by that primary with Oz. He has to be able to define who he is and who he isn't."

Recent polls show a tight race, with Mr. McCormick cutting into what had been a steady lead for Mr. Casey. A Washington Post poll showed the pair effectively tied, with Mr. Casey at 47% and Mr. McCormick at 46%, while a CNN poll earlier in September showed both with 46% support. All results were within the margin of error of the respective polls.

Mr. Casey still held a 48%-39% lead, which was slightly outside the margin of error, in the latest New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll conducted in mid-September.

The economy remains one of the top issues in the race.

Mr. McCormick laid out an economic plan in late August calling for slashing government spending and red tape, boosting American energy and making investments in education and training. He also called for middle class tax cuts, increasing the child tax credit and giving working families access to a tax-free savings account to pay for up to $10,000 in child care costs.

Mr. Casey and other Democrats are also pushing for expanding the child tax credit, and Mr. Casey has helped lead the party on efforts to tackle corporate greed. The senator has released several reports on "greedflation" and "shrinkflation," citing federal data and research showing corporate profiteering cost the average Pennsylvania family more than $3,500 in 2022. Mr. Casey has also argued against continuing the Trump administration's tax cuts.

"My opponent and Republicans generally are not going to be on the side of giving the middle class a tax break," Mr. Casey recently told MSNBC. "They've already told people they want to double down on this reckless scheme to jack up the debt by trillions of dollars by giving away the store again."

Abortion, immigration, energy and China also have been flashpoints in the race and are likely to arise either Thursday in Harrisburg or in a second debate set for Philadelphia on Oct. 15.