Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick reacts at his watch party, during the 2024 U.S. Election, in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 6, 2024. REUTERS/Quinn Glabicki
The Pennsylvania Senate race was finally called Thursday for Dave McCormick in a key U.S. Senate flip in Pennsylvania.
The contest, between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican businessman McCormick, came as Pennsylvania, the largest of the "blue wall" states that flipped to President-elect Donald Trump in the presidential election, was closely watched.
McCormick, who ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary against Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022, has been dogged by questions about his residency, as he has property in Connecticut.
He faced mockery over things that bolstered the idea he wasn't authentically Pennsylvanian, like appearing to mix up the Eagles and the Steelers and confusing Philadelphia, Mississippi with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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He also faced accusations that he shorted stock in companies located in Pennsylvania.
While polling broadly showed Casey in a much stronger position in McCormick than Vice President Kamala Harris against Trump, the Senate race was still closely watched. Democrats failed to keep their vulnerable Senate majority, and could lose the House as well.