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Casey urges patience in vote-counting for Pa. U.S. Senate race as McCormick returns to Connecticut • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

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Casey urges patience in vote-counting for Pa. U.S. Senate race as McCormick returns to Connecticut • Pennsylvania Capital-Star


After the Associated Press called the race in his favor, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick gave a victory speech in Pittsburgh on Friday, thanking incumbent Sen. Bob Casey for his service to Pennsylvania and urging him to concede.

“I also recognize what it’s like to lose a close election,” McCormick said Friday, pointing to Pennsylvania’s 2022 GOP U.S. Senate primary, where he lost to Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. “We knew on election night we had won, because the math was clear and there’s no way for Senator Casey to win, and the AP certainly recognized that yesterday by calling the race.”

But on Saturday morning, as ballots continued to be counted that could determine whether he would be Pennsylvania’s next U.S. Senator, McCormick flew to Bridgeport, Connecticut. 

Casey hammered McCormick for his Connecticut connection throughout the campaign, repeatedly pointing to an August 2023 AP article which maintained that the former hedge fund CEO continued to live in Connecticut even as he sought to represent the people of Pennsylvania. 

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Flight records show a private plane previously connected to McCormick left Pittsburgh the morning of Nov. 9 bound for Bridgeport. As Vanity Fair reported last year, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records show McCormick is part owner of four Platius PC-12 planes as part of PlaneSense’s PC-12 fractional ownership program. PlaneSense provides people who purchase one of its planes access to a fleet of private planes. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in March that after launching a statewide bus tour of Pennsylvania, where he said he would “live on the bus” McCormick flew back to Connecticut that same day. McCormick has said that the reason he travels to Connecticut is because his youngest daughter from a previous marriage lives there, and he visits frequently. 

Elizabeth Gregory, communications director for the McCormick campaign said in a social media post Sunday that McCormick “went to his daughter’s soccer game — the first he was able to make it to this season. Like her dad, she won!  Dave was back in PA that night. Please stop with this unseemly desperation.”

The Associated Press, which calculates election outcomes based on a number of factors, including votes remaining, called the race for McCormick on Thursday. But the Pennsylvania Secretary of State noted not long afterward that there were “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated, including provisional, military, overseas, and Election Day votes.” And Casey has not conceded. 

“I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” Casey said in a statement Thursday evening. “It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”

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PBS NewsHour correspondent Lisa Desjardins reported Friday that the AP told her it had “estimated 109,000 ballots were still outstanding. Up from 91,000 the day before. That is – they stress and I stress – an estimate.  And they adjust it as they get more information.” 

In a post from its “decision team” on Friday, the AP said “McCormick’s lead grew on Friday as more Election Day votes were added to the count in Republican-leaning Cambria County and some smaller counties completed the process of assessing and adding provisional ballots to the count. That lead may shrink over the coming days, however, as provisional ballots from more Democratic-leaning areas are reviewed by election officials.”

Other news outlets, including DecisionDesk HQ and NBC News, have not yet called the race as of Sunday morning. 

And, when the tally is calculated, if the margin of votes is 0.5% or lower, it would trigger a recount under Pennsylvania law. 

On Friday in Philadelphia, the same day McCormick held his victory rally in Pittsburgh, a Common Pleas Court judge rejected McCormick’s request to increase the number of GOP observers in the counting of provisional ballots. McCormick withdrew a second lawsuit seeking a “global challenge” to provisional ballots. 

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“Each day, counties across the Commonwealth are confirming there are more ballots that need to be counted,” Casey campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said in a statement. “We know there are more than 100,000 ballots left to be counted including tens of thousands of provisional ballots in counties favorable to Senator Casey, and the McCormick campaign has acknowledged these provisional ballots could impact the outcome of the election while pursuing unsuccessful lawsuits to get them thrown out. Pennsylvanians deserve to have their voices heard, and as state officials have made clear, counties across Pennsylvania need more time to tabulate remaining votes.”

As of Sunday, unofficial results showed Casey with 3,330,514 votes, or 48.43%, to McCormick’s 3,370,659 or 49.01%. 

This article was updated Nov. 10, 2024 at 12:18 p.m. with a comment from the McCormick campaign

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Pennsylvania

Fetterman and McCormick cancel joint appearance in Pittsburgh

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Fetterman and McCormick cancel joint appearance in Pittsburgh


A joint appearance featuring U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick scheduled for Saturday in Pittsburgh — which already had been subject to a location change after activists said they would show up to protest the paid event — was canceled on Friday.

People who paid $32, plus fees, for the event received an update that it was postponed “due to an unforeseen logistical issue,” and that it will be rescheduled.

The update from “Team McCormick” and “Team Fetterman” said the organizers “regret any inconvenience” and offered full refunds.

The event’s location had not been revealed.

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Attendees were supposed to get a notification 24 hours ahead of time of the location, Pennlive.com reported, but got the postponement instead.

Fetterman and his wife, Gisele, were originally set to appear with McCormick and his wife, Dina Powell, at City Winery in Pittsburgh on Saturday to promote a book about mentorship authored by the McCormicks called “Who Believed in You?” People who paid to attend would get a copy of the book.

But then the location was switched to a new, undisclosed venue.

“Our senators appear to have caught wind of the fact that their constituents want to be heard. And instead of HOLDING TOWN HALLS, they have moved their paid book event (the subject of this protest) to an UNDISCLOSED LOCATION,” said organizers of a protest page on Facebook called “Search Party; Have You Seen our Senators?”

The organizers said they would still proceed with a scheduled 12 p.m. Saturday demonstration at Schenley Plaza in Pittsburgh.

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The Democratic Fetterman and Republican McCormick have touted their friendly working relationship.

It’s been more than two months since Fetterman held a public event in Pennsylvania. McCormick on Tuesday held his first town hall, which was online only, since becoming Pennsylvania’s senator. The tele-town hall was advertised 30 minutes before it started via a post on McCormick’s X account.

Fetterman, the only Senate Democrat to visit President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort this year, has steadfastly dismissed angry complaints from many of his Democratic constituents about his vote to approve a Republican bill funding the federal government and averting a shutdown, as well as his staunch support of Israel.

“He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful,” Trump said after meeting Fetterman.

Fetterman has been critical of the Trump administration, including on Friday when he denounced a move by Trump to strip unionization rights from federal workers.

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Representatives for Fetterman and McCormick could not be reached for comment Friday.

Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.



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Pennsylvania Sportswatch Daily Listings

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Pennsylvania Sportswatch Daily Listings


Lafayette at Lehigh — ESPN+, ESPN app

Bucknell at Army — ESPN+, ESPN app

Pittsburgh at Boston College — ACCNX

Penn State at Michigan — Big Ten Plus

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Saint Joseph’s at VCU — ESPN+, ESPN app

Lafayette at Lehigh — ESPN+, ESPN app

Bucknell at Army — ESPN+, ESPN app

Pittsburgh at Boston College — ACCNX

Philadelphia at Washington — MASN, NBCS Philadelphia +, Fubo Sports US

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Pittsburgh at Miami — FDSN Florida, SportsNet Pittsburgh, Fubo Sports US

Miami at Philadelphia — FDSN Sun, NBCS Philadelphia, Fubo Sports US, NBA League Pass

MLS: Philadelphia Union vs. Inter Miami — MLS Season Pass

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.



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Pennsylvania Money Match Program Sends First Checks to Residents

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Pennsylvania Money Match Program Sends First Checks to Residents


Treasurer Stacy Garrity, alongside Senator Devlin Robinson (R-37), announced the inaugural disbursement of funds from the Pennsylvania Money Match program, with over $1.7 million in checks being mailed to state residents. This initiative, which received unanimous approval from the General Assembly and was signed into law by the Governor, aims to efficiently return unclaimed property to its rightful owners.

More than 7,000 Pennsylvanians will soon find checks in their mailboxes, representing the first wave of payments under the program. These funds stem from unclaimed property such as dormant accounts and uncashed checks, with individual claims capped at $500.

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The program’s introduction follows a series of “due diligence” notifications sent by the Treasury to potential beneficiaries in January. Following this first batch, the next series of checks is scheduled for May, targeting approximately 40,000 recipients.

Pennsylvania Money Match was established under Senate Bill 24, also known as Act 81 of 2024, sponsored by former Sen. John DiSanto and complemented by House Bill 2092 from Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-3). Both pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan support, reflecting a collective effort to streamline the return of unclaimed assets to citizens, thereby boosting local economies and easing individual financial burdens.


Treasurer Garrity highlighted the program’s success in removing bureaucratic hurdles and improving the efficiency of government operations. Since her tenure began, Garrity has returned over $750 million in unclaimed property and has overseen significant enhancements to the treasury’s systems, including a major system upgrade and the introduction of a fast-track claim process.

For more details on the Pennsylvania Money Match program or to check eligibility for unclaimed property, residents are encouraged to visit the Treasury’s official site at patreasury.gov/MoneyMatch.

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