Bob Casey concedes to David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate race
The even result initiated an automatic recount that was criticized by Republicans, who accused the still Democratic senator of refusing to concede defeat even though he had no path to victory.
David McCormick (left) and Bob Casey (right).
After more than two weeks of recounts, Democrat Bob Casey recognized the victory of Republican Dave McCormick in the race for a Pennsylvania Senate seat.
In a video uploaded to social media, the veteran Democrat defended his team's work on the streets and in the courts to make sure "every eligible vote cast could be counted" in what he described as "one of the closest in our commonwealth's history."
McCormick came in first but failed to clear the minimum threshold of 0.5 percentage points to avoid an automatic recount, as required by state law. The recount began Monday and was set to continue through the end of the month, but Casey's concession suspended the process.
The Republican had declared himself the victor of the race. In arguments backed by his party's leadership, he accused his opponent of wasting time and taxpayer money by allowing the recount to drag on without actually having a path to victory.
The vote recount was traversed by court complaints and rulings to include or exclude ballots, plus cross-party accusations. In a controversial decision, Chuck Schumer, still Senate majority leader, decided to exclude McCormick in the orientation sessions for senators-elect.
The Keystone State's other senator, Democrat John Fetterman, said the result "hits me." He described Casey as the "best senator" in the state's history and said it was a "supreme honor" to have had him as a "colleague, friend, and mentor."
Casey came to the Senate in 2007 after holding state offices. During the campaign, his opponent described him as a "career politician" who is "too weak." With a political and business career behind him, McCormick succeeded in ousting him from Washington. D.C., after 18 years.
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