PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Bob Casey and businessman Dave McCormick will likely square off in the November election.
No other Democrats or Republicans are currently on primary ballots after three candidates faced petition challenges. Two were removed from the ballot and one withdrew.
The thin field this early is a big change from the state's last U.S. Senate race, which saw a hotly-contest primary battle.
"What I think made 2022 appealing to Republican candidates: open primary and the opportunity to run against an administration that we all knew was very unpopular," said Berwood Yost, Director of the Franklin and Marshall College Center of Opinion Research.
U.S. Senator John Fetterman went on to win the open seat, a crucial win for Democrats, who retained a majority in the Senate.
Yost believes Casey will need to win for Democrats to keep their advantage.
"He has a long history of service to Pennsylvania, a well-known name, and I think it makes it a challenge to run against him," Yost said.
McCormick ran in 2022, falling to Dr. Oz in the Republican primary.
With other challengers nearly out of the picture this time around, he'll have a shot at the seat.
"McCormick has a terrific resume, particularly a resume you would see for a traditional Republican candidate," Yost said. "Military service, business background, those sorts of things, and certainly a lot of money to challenge Senator Casey. I think that's the other part of this."
2022's Senate race saw more than $300 million in campaign spending, much of it on advertising.
Yost believes this year's candidates could reach that tally again.
This pivotal Pennsylvania race could be impacted by the race for the White House.
Yost said higher voter turnout typically favors Democrats, but the excitement around the Trump campaign may help Republicans on the ticket.
"When Former President Trump is at the top of the ticket he has a lot of motivated supporters," Yost said. "It's hard to say who's going to have that advantage."
Early polling suggests Casey has close to a nine-point lead. In F&M's most recent poll, 55% of those surveyed said they didn't know enough about McCormick to form an opinion.
"I think the key to this race, given how well-known Senator Casey is, will be what does Dave McCormick do in the next few months to really raise his profile and define himself?" Yost said.
Two candidates still have the opportunity to appeal the challenges that are currently keeping them off the ballot, but their deadlines to appeal are quickly approaching.
FOX43 reached out to the Casey and McCormick campaigns to ask about the issues the candidates are focused on during this election cycle.
Maddy McDaniel, spokesperson for Bob Casey for Senate said, “Senator Casey has spent his life in Pennsylvania, serving the people, and fighting for Pennsylvania values. He is running to lower costs for working families by cracking down on corporate greed, to stand up to the Chinese government’s cheating practices and fight back against the fentanyl crisis, and to defend our rights and freedoms. David McCormick is a Connecticut mega-millionaire who is lying about living in Pennsylvania and has spent his career enriching himself at the expense of working people.”
McCormick said, "I am so proud to have support from Pennsylvanians across all 67 counties. Together, we will retire Bob Casey and Joe Biden's failed policies of an open border, soaring crime, high inflation and an assault on our energy sector and renew our Commonwealth and country."