Casey, McCormick battle over votes continues, despite AP call for McCormick
PHILADELPHIA - The battle over ballots in the Casey versus McCormick race for the U.S. Senate moved to a Philadelphia court Friday.
Lawyers for the projected winner, Republican Dave McCormick, and Democratic incumbent, Senator Bob Casey, stood before a judge at noon over the counting of provisional ballots, filed by voters on Election Day amid questions about their registration.
In court filings Thursday night, McCormick’s lawyers challenged the number of observers and how the ballots would be counted. By mid-day Friday, the issues appeared settled and the legal action withdrawn.
Dave McCormick wins US Senate Race in Pennsylvania: AP
David McCormick has been elected to the U.S. Senate after winning a pivotal race in swing-state Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press.
In Pittsburg Friday morning, McCormick, declared the winner late Thursday afternoon by the Associated Press, met with supporters and the media, thanking Casey and his family for their service to Pennsylvania. He said, "I don’t care who voted for me and who didn’t vote for me. Today I turn the page. I’m focused on serving every single Pennsylvanian with all my energy and everything I’ve got."
But Casey, the 3-term Democrat, hasn’t given up the fight as his campaign presses for all votes to be counted. In a statement, Casey wrote, "We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves."
And with just 30,000 votes separating the candidates, there’s a potential for a recount, either ordered by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, or pressed by the Casey campaign. McCormick said, "We knew on election night we had won because the math was clear there’s no way for Senator Casey to win. The AP certainly recognized that yesterday by calling the race but Senator Casey has to work through this."