As October begins, we are getting closer and closer to Election Day. While most people talk about which presidential candidate to vote for, the Pennsylvania Senatorial election is just as important.
Elections in Pennsylvania differ from elections in other states since Pennsylvania is a swing state. While states like Oklahoma and Tennessee tend to vote for Republicans, Pennsylvania can lean either way. The candidate whom swing states elect is important because, in some circumstances, it can decide which party controls the Senate.
The two major candidates running for the PA Senate are incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick. Although both are qualified, the main question is whether or not to reelect the same senator we have had for almost two decades or elect someone new.
Most people in Pennsylvania have heard the name Bob Casey before. He’s been involved in state politics for decades, serving first as the auditor general in 1997. But, he is widely known for his 17 years as a Pennsylvania senator. He has had many notable policies, serving as the co-sponsor of the PRO Act, protecting employees’ right to organize, and the Respect for Marriage Act which required all U.S. States and territories to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages. Lately, he’s been focused on preserving voting rights, abortion freedoms, and labor equality, all of which he believes McCormick threatens. Casey has also always been one of the Democratic Party’s main politicians in fighting inflation.
Unlike Casey, Dave McCormick is a new, fresh face in Pennsylvanian politics. McCormick is a former hedge fund CEO who served in George W. Bush’s Department of Commerce. He hopes to take Casey’s seat in the Senate this November and uplift Pennsylvania economically. He uses his business leader experience to prove he would be an effective senator. He believes that the Biden administration is the main cause of the inflation Americans are affected by every day. McCormick says that if he is elected this November, he’ll work to bring those costs down. He believes that Casey isn’t assertive enough and is standing back while the U.S. is becoming weaker.
The concern most people have with McCormick is whether he knows what’s best for Pennsylvania. McCormick spends most of his time in his home located in Connecticut, not Pennsylvania, the state he is running to represent. Casey understands the problems regular Pennsylvanians face, but McCormick was born wealthy and in a different state. Pennsylvanians have major concerns about rising prices on everyday necessities, like groceries. Both candidates want to lower taxes and help fight inflation, though McCormick has talked about creating new workforce training programs and making them accessible in many places like community colleges.
Another topic that voters are worried about is abortion. McCormick is pro-life except in cases of incest, rape, and if it affects the health of the mother, unlike Casey, who fully believes in women’s choice. However, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, McCormick was fully pro-life, sowing doubt about whether he now believes that abortion should be allowed in certain circumstances.
This race for the seat in the Senate has been neck and neck since the beginning, but Casey is leading 47% to 41%. Pennsylvanians are torn as to who to vote for, but hopefully, the Senatorial debate on Tuesday will help the people decide.
