GOP Sen.-elect Dave McCormick has toppled longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, bringing a new face to the seat the incumbent president had occupied for nearly two decades.
But who is Pennsylvania’s freshman senator?
More: After two weeks, Senator Bob Casey concedes defeat to Republican Dave McCormick during the recount
McCormick is a wealthy financial executive who has never previously held political office, although he ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in 2022.
The seventh-generation Pennsylvanian grew up largely in Bloomsburg, where his father worked as president of the university. McCormick attended West Point, co-captained the wrestling team there, and then spent several years in the U.S. Army, where he received a Bronze Star for his service during the first Gulf War.
From there, he earned a doctorate in foreign policy from Princeton University and began his business career, eventually becoming CEO of a Pittsburgh-based software company called FreeMarkets.
He also spent several years in the administration of former President George W. Bush, where he held senior positions at the National Security Council and the U.S. Treasury Department.
McCormick then returned to the private sector and worked his way through the ranks of hedge fund giant Bridgewater Associates, eventually taking over as CEO of the company.
He left his post in 2022 to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Republican Pat Toomey, but he failed to advance past the primaries and narrowly lost to famed doctor Mehmet Oz. The GOP nominee was later defeated in the general election by Democrat John Fetterman.
McCormick is married to Dina Powell McCormick, a former Goldman Sachs executive who also served as deputy national security adviser during Donald Trump’s first term as president. This is a second marriage for both McCormick and his wife, who have six daughters together.
They live in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, although McCormick’s residence was a point of attack for Democrats during the campaign.
The Associated Press reported in mid-2023 that McCormick had sold his Connecticut home ahead of his failed Senate campaign and was still renting a mansion there. His campaign this year stated that he no longer owned or rented property in Connecticut.
Bethany Rodgers is an investigative reporter for the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capital Bureau.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Dave McCormick is Dad’s new senator. What you need to know about his background.
