CAMP HILL, Pa. — U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) spent Monday morning in Cumberland County, pledging his support for organized labor to union members.
“It’s a real simple choice here," said Sen. Casey. "There’s no common ground between my opponent and me when it comes to supporting the men and women of labor.”
Those labor union leaders pledged their support in return for the three-term Democratic incumbent.
Sen. Casey received the Teamsters Union endorsement while visiting its Camp Hill headquarters.
“From standing up for striking workers on our picket lines to leading fights to enshrine labor protections into law, he’s talked the talk but more importantly, he has walked the walk," said Angela Ferritto, president of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
Sen. Casey says he will continue to support pro-union economic policy and workers' right to organize, something he believes Republicans will take away if they are in power.
“That’s where they’re headed as a party. An extreme right-wing party that took away a 49-year right for women, their next right they’re going to take away is the right to organize a union," he said.
Sen. Casey's visit came on the same day his Republican challenger, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, was down the road in Harrisburg.
The two candidates are now in a dead-heat race for the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat, with less than two months to go until Election Day.
“I always figured this race would be close, it’s Pennsylvania," Sen. Casey told reporters after speaking to union members. “I’ve got to earn the votes of the people of our state, I’m going to continue to do that but we expect it to be close."
He continued, "I do think people now know more about the difference between the two candidates maybe much more so than they did last spring when a lot of the advertising started.”
“This election is not a done deal, we have a fight on our hands and it is against a bunch of folks dedicated to tearing down the rights that we have fought so hard to win," added Ferritto.
While speaking on Monday, Senator Casey promised to go after billionaires and large corporations, if re-elected.
“If they want someone who’s going to vote for the billionaire tax cuts and corporate tax breaks again and jack up the debt again, they should vote for the other guy but I’m going to fight to invest in the middle class and our families," he said.
Sen. Casey said he will continue to invest in Pennsylvania's middle class, stating he wants to see an enhanced, more generous version of the Child Tax Credit in next year's tax bill, and will work to push that through, if he wins in November.
“When I talk to the people of our state, long before this campaign, but especially [in] the last six or eight months, one of the issues that keeps coming up is the cost—the cost of groceries, the cost of living more broadly and I think the more we can focus on, not simply as I outlined earlier, going after the price gougers, that’s not enough…we’ve got to make sure families have the wherewithal to be able to deal with price shocks or cost increases, whether it’s food or gasoline, either now or six months from now or three months from now," he explained. "That’s why the Child Tax credit is such a valuable tool to be able to give families more.”
He also sent a strong message to the super PAC supporting McCormick’s U.S. Senate bid through millions of dollars in advertising across Pennsylvania airwaves.
“I’m telling them, if you re-elect me, I’m voting against your billionaire tax cuts so you better beat me cause I’m going to defeat you," Sen. Casey said.
The stakes of this Senate race are incredibly high, especially for Democrats.
Other than West Virginia, which is expected to flip red, the party needs to hold onto all of its seats to maintain a 50-50 Senate.
Sen. Casey has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. But he told FOX43 on Monday, no matter who is in the White House, he will always focus on the priorities of Pennsylvania when he votes.
"If it’s good for Pennsylvania I vote sometimes with Republican presidents, sometimes with Democratic presidents," Sen. Casey explained. "Think about the issue of trade, for example. I opposed President Obama’s trade deal but I supported the trade deal of the last administration because I thought it was in the best interest of Pennsylvania. I’m going to continue to focus on those priorities.”
Sen. Casey and David McCormick are set to debate in Harrisburg on October 3. Casey's team has agreed to two other debates as well, but McCormick's campaign has not confirmed or denied if he will attend those.