The results of a hotly contested Senate race in Pennsylvania will be automatically recounted after neither candidate won by a large enough margin, Pennsylvania’s top elections official announced Wednesday.
The Associated Press declared Republican Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund manager, the winner over Sen. Bob Casey (D) on Nov. 7, two days after voting ended. If officially confirmed, McCormick’s victory would give Republicans, who have already retaken the Senate, a 53-seat majority in the upper legislative chamber.
But Casey has refused to accept the AP’s election call, citing the tens of thousands of provisional, mail-in and absentee ballots that have yet to be counted.
Additionally, Pennsylvania law requires a recount if an election is won by less than half a percentage point. And on Wednesday, with more than 80,000 provisional, mail-in and absentee ballots still outstanding, Al Schmidt, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, declared that the “unofficial results” necessitated a recount as McCormick’s lead was still only is 0.43%.
“Senator-elect McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, which the AP made clear by calling the race,” McCormick campaign spokesperson Elizabeth Gregory said in a statement in response to the recount announcement. “A recount will be a waste of time and taxpayer dollars, but it is Senator Casey’s prerogative. Senator-elect McCormick knows what it is like to lose an election and is confident that Senator Casey will ultimately come to the right conclusion.”
Schmidt, the top elections official, estimated the recount will cost the state just over $1 million.
McCormick welcomed a recount of his 2022 Senate primary against Mehmet Oz — a recount that cost Pennsylvania more than $1 million.
Casey’s campaign has also noted that while Republicans are now suing to throw out absentee ballots that were received on time but were missing a handwritten date, McCormick attempted to include such ballots in the official count in 2022.
“David McCormick’s hypocritical reversal of undated ballots is further evidence of his determination to disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters as counties continue to count their votes in this razor-thin election,” Casey campaign manager Tiernan Donohue said in a statement Thursday. “Senator Casey’s priority remains ensuring that Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard as our democratic process unfolds.”
Election boards in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties must begin their recounts by next Wednesday and complete them by Nov. 26. Once the recount is complete, each county must submit the results to the state by noon on November 27.
Pennsylvania requires counties to recount all ballots with “overvotes,” where a voter hand-selected more than the required number of candidates. A manual recount is also recommended for ballots with loose markings or “undervotes,” where voters leave their ballot blank for a particular contest.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) speaks to reporters after the vote at Scranton High School on Tuesday. He cast himself as a more authentic stand for working Pennsylvanians. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
