Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt announced that the Senate race between incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick must undergo a statewide recount.
Under state law, vote totals within “one-half of 1 percent” must be recounted, Schmidt’s office said.
Casey received 48.50% of the vote and McCormick received 48.93% of the vote.
Recount results must be provided to the Secretary by noon on November 27. The cost of the recount will exceed $1 million in taxpayer funds.
“Senator-elect McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, which the AP made clear in calling the race,” McCormick spokesperson Elizabeth Gregory said in a statement. “A recount will be a waste of time and taxpayer money but it is Senator Casey’s prerogative. Senator-elect McCormick knows what it’s like to lose an election and is sure Senator Casey will eventually reach the right conclusion.”
Former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer, wrote on X that “Republicans everywhere should pay attention to what Casey is trying to pull off.”
He said while Casey “has no chance, this is a warning about the [Democrat] game plan for how to count votes in close races,” he continued. “They want people who aren’t registered, don’t have IDs, or live out of state to be counted.”
RNC Chair Michael Whatley announced that the organization filed “two new lawsuits — in Bucks County and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court — to STOP the counting of illegal ballots. We have won this court battle several times already.”
Whatley asserted that McCormick won the race, noting that “Bob Casey lost and Democrat officials and lawyers are trying to sow doubt in the democratic process.”
“Our attorneys will not let it stand,” he wrote.
