By Bo Erickson
(Reuters) -Republican Dave McCormick has won the U.S. Senate elections in Pennsylvania, Decision Desk HQ predicted on Thursday, defeating Democratic incumbent Bob Casey in a key victory for Republicans hoping to capture a majority in the House.
Pennsylvania will conduct a legally mandated statewide recount of ballots because McCormick’s lead is within half of 1 percent of the total vote, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said Wednesday.
McCormick has 3,380,310 votes, or 48.93%, and Casey has 3,350,972, or 48.50%, Schmidt said.
The Associated Press called the race for McCormick a week ago.
McCormick, 59, a U.S. Army combat veteran, campaigned during his previous stints in national security roles during the administration of Republican former President George W. Bush, and during his years leading Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s best hedge funds.
Using some of his own wealth to campaign, McCormick embraced Pennsylvania’s electoral competitiveness and leaned on economic and foreign policy issues, effectively tying Casey to Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, who blamed McCormick for the high household costs and what he said was weakness against foreign adversaries. .
This was the second time McCormick ran for U.S. Senate, after losing the Republican primary in the 2022 midterm elections.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)
