PENNSYLVANIA, USA — If the Associated Press projection is correct, this year's Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race may have included a monumental upset, but one political candidate is not going away without a definitive answer.
“If Dave McCormick is able to secure the seat, this would be a massive seat change," said Dr. Alison Dagnes, chair of the Shippensburg University Political Science Department.
Republican Dave McCormick claimed victory in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race last week as the Associated Press projected he would win the seat, while other major outlets have not declared a winner, saying it’s too close to call.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey had a commanding lead in the polls that narrowed as election day approached.
With still thousands of votes left to count, many of them in Democratic strongholds, Casey has yet to concede, sharing his message to social media.
“The American democratic process was born in Pennsylvania and that process will play out," Casey said in the short clip shared to X.
State law triggers an automatic recount when two candidates fall within one half of a percentage point in the vote.
Casey trailed by 0.5% on Tuesday.
A Pennsylvania Department of State spokesperson told FOX43, “County elections officials have been working since Election Day to count ballots. The Secretary will determine if an automatic recount is triggered in the U.S. Senate race based on unofficial count totals reported by counties.”
Secretary Al Schmidt would have to call a recount before Thursday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
“This probably comes as a little bit of a bad déjà vu for Dave McCormick, who himself was on the subject of a recount in the 2022 primary against Mehmet Oz," Dagnes said.
McCormick lost in the primary by a narrow margin in 2022, but has been assuring voters of his victory this time around, suing to block the counting of some 15,000 to 20,000 provisional ballots in Philadelphia last week.
Despite not receiving an invite from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, McCormick was photographed at Senate orientation on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, his opponent holds out hope he could return to the Senate for a fourth term, this time in a chamber under Republican control.
“All of this is normal and we want to make sure that every vote counts and that they get it right and so I don’t blame Senator Casey for wanting to wait a little bit," Dagnes said.