The battle for the Senate in Pennsylvania is headed to a recount, with the narrow margin between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Senator Bob Casey automatically triggering it under state law.
Commonwealth Minister Al Schmidt announced on Wednesday that the unofficial results, which pointed to a close race, had led to a recount. Schmidt noted in his announcement that counties must begin the recount no later than Nov. 20, and must complete the process by noon on Nov. 26. The results will not be published until November 27.
Just over 29,000 votes, or 0.4 percent of the total votes cast, currently separate the two candidates, with McCormick narrowly in the lead. Any margin below 0.5 percentage points triggers a recount in Pennsylvania. NBC News has not yet predicted a winner in the race.
McCormick spokeswoman Elizabeth Gregory called the Republicans’ lead “insurmountable” in a statement.
“A recount will be a waste of time and taxpayer dollars, but it is Senator Casey’s prerogative,” Gregory said, referencing McCormick’s narrow 2022 primary loss. “Newly elected Senator McCormick knows what it’s like to have a recount.” election and I am confident that Senator Casey will ultimately come to the right conclusion.’
Dave McCormick; Bob Casey.
Casey hasn’t given up on the race. “When the vote reaches a certain level, the state makes a decision and they have made that decision. There are still many votes to be counted,” he said at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Casey said in a statement Tuesday that “the American democratic process was born in Pennsylvania and that process will play out.”
Former President Donald Trump carried Pennsylvania and helped him secure enough electoral votes for president. But the current vote count shows a significant drop between Trump and McCormick, with Trump winning more than 100,000 additional votes than McCormick. Casey is about 40,000 votes behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
McCormick declared victory a few days after the election, telling supporters in Pittsburgh last Friday that there was no way Casey could outdo him.
“I wish him the best, and his family the best, and thank them for their service,” McCormick said. “But we must continue to change the direction of the country.”
Asked about the possibility of a recount, McCormick told reporters on Friday: “I don’t know if there will be a recount or not, but the people have spoken, there is a clear victory and on that basis I will respectfully move forward. ”
Senate Republicans have already secured the Senate majority and won Senate seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana.
NBC News predicted that Democratic Senate candidates in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin won their Senate races even as Trump carried the states.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
