Pennsylvania
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.
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.”
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.
“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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Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 9:08 PM
Last week was the first week when the district postseason morphed into the state playoffs.
While some of the district playoffs conclude with championships this weekend, other district winners move on to the PIAA quarterfinals Friday and Saturday.
Seven ranked teams from a week ago saw their seasons come to an end last week and that number should grow this week with plenty of head-to-head battles that will set the state for the semifinals Thanksgiving weekend.
There are nine games Friday or Saturday between teams in the Top 5 of this week’s Trib HSSN state rankings, including two each in 4A, 3A and Class A.
There was only one change at the very top of a class as Bishop McDevitt moved to No. 1 in 5A following Upper St. Clair’s first loss of the season.
The other five classes remain the same on top with St. Joe’s Prep in 6A, Lampeter-Strasburg in 4A, Northwestern Lehigh in 3A, Troy in 2A and Fort Cherry in Class A still at the head of their class.
Here are the latest Trib HSSN rankings in each of the six classifications. Teams are listed with overall record, last week’s ranking and district.
Class 6A
1. St. Joseph’s Prep (8-2) (1) (D-12): The defending PIAA 6A champion Hawks defeated No. 2 Imhotep Charter in Week 12, 42-0. They play Parkland in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
2. Central Catholic (10-2) (3) (D-7): The Vikings defeated North Allegheny in Week 12, 45-14. They play State College in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
3. West Lawn Wilson (11-1) (4) (D-3): The Bulldogs defeated Central York in Week 12, 28-20. They play No. 4 Harrisburg in the District 3 championship game Saturday.
4. Harrisburg (10-2) (NR) (D-3): The Cougars defeated Manheim Township in Week 12, 35-14. They play No. 3 West Lawn Wilson in the District 3 championship game Saturday.
5. Downingtown West (12-1) (NR) (D-1): The Whippets defeated Central Bucks West in Week 12, 28-23. They host North Penn in the District 1 championship game Friday.
Out: Imhotep Charter (12), Central Bucks South (1)
Class 5A
1. Bishop McDevitt (10-2) (2) (D-3): The Crusaders defeated Mechanicsburg in Week 12, 26-14. They play Exeter Township in the District 3 championship game Friday.
2. Pine-Richland (10-1) (3) (D-7): The Rams defeated Bethel Park in Week 12, 28-7. They play No. 4 Peters Township in the WPIAL championship game Saturday on Trib HSSN.
3. Roman Catholic (9-4) (4) (D-12): The Cahillites defeated East Stroudsburg in Week 12, 41-13. They play Hollidaysburg in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
4. Peters Township (11-1) (5) (D-7): The Indians defeated No. 1 Upper St. Clair in Week 12, 7-3. They play No. 2 Pine-Richland in the WPIAL championship game Saturday on Trib HSSN.
5. West Chester Rustin (12-1) (NR) (D-1): The Golden Knights defeated Upper Dublin in Week 12, 35-14. They visit Springfield-Delco in the District 1 championship game Friday.
Out: Upper St. Clair (7)
Class 4A
1. Lampeter-Strasburg (12-0) (1) (D-3): The Pioneers defeated Twin Valley in Week 12, 31-13. They play No. 5 Wyomissing in the District 3 championship game Friday.
2. Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast (9-2) (2) (D-12): The Friars defeated West Philadelphia in Week 12, 50-16. They play No. 4 Pope John Paul II in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
3. Thomas Jefferson (13-0) (3) (D-7): The Jaguars defeated McKeesport in Week 12, 28-7. They play Clearfield in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
4. Pope John Paul II (12-1) (5) (D-1): The Golden Panthers defeated Valley View in Week 12, 36-0. They play No. 2 Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
5. Wyomissing (9-2) (NR) (D-3): The Spartans defeated West York in Week 12, 35-7. They play No. 1 Lampeter-Strasburg in the District 3 championship game Friday.
Out: Shamokin (4)
Class 3A
1. Northwestern Lehigh (13-0) (1) (D-11): The Tigers defeated Conwell-Egan in Week 12, 49-7. They play No. 4 Scranton Prep in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
2. Danville (12-0) (2) (D-4): The Ironmen defeated Lewisburg in Week 12, 28-24. They play Bermudian Springs in a PIAA quarterfinal Saturday.
3. Penn Cambria (13-0) (4) (D-6): The Panthers defeated Somerset in Week 12, 40-0. They play No. 5 Hickory in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
4. Scranton Prep (12-1) (NR) (D-2): The Cavaliers defeated Wyoming Area in Week 12, 28-6. They play No. 1 Northwestern Lehigh in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
5. Hickory (11-1) (NR) (D-10): The Hornets defeated No. 5 Sharon in Week 12, 37-31. They play No. 3 Penn Cambria in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
Out: Imani Christian (7), Sharon (10)
Class 2A
1. Troy (13-0) (1) (D-4): The Trojans defeated Warrior Run in Week 12, 59-14. They play Bedford in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
2. Central Clarion (12-0) (2) (D-9): The Wildcats defeated Farrell in Week 12, 41-6. They play No. 3 Cambria Heights in a PIAA quarterfinal Saturday.
3. Cambria Heights (13-0) (4) (D-6): The Highlanders defeated Richland in Week 12, 42-21. They play No. 2 Central Clarion in a PIAA quarterfinal Saturday.
4. Seton LaSalle (11-0) (5) (D-7): The Rebels defeated Steel Valley in Week 12, 27-13. They play South Park in the WPIAL championship game Saturday on Trib HSSN.
5. Williams Valley (12-1) (NR) (D-11): The Vikings defeated Schuylkill Haven in Week 12, 28-13. They play Taylor Riverside in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
Out: Schuylkill Haven (11)
Class A
1. Fort Cherry (13-0) (1) (D-7): The Rangers defeated Jeannette in Week 12, 49-14. They play No. 4 Clairton in the WPIAL championship game Saturday on Trib HSSN.
2. Bishop Guilfoyle (12-1) (2) (D-6): The Marauders defeated Northern Cambria in Week 12, 42-18. They play No. 3 Westinghouse in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
3. Westinghouse (9-1) (3) (D-8): The Bulldogs defeated Windber in Week 12, 61-6. They play No. 2 Bishop Guilfoyle in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday.
4. Clairton (13-0) (4) (D-7): The Bears defeated Bishop Canevin in Week 12, 24-0. They play No. 1 Fort Cherry in the WPIAL championship game Saturday on Trib HSSN.
5. Port Allegany (12-0) (5) (D-9): The Gators defeated Redbank Valley in Week 12, 62-28. They play Wilmington in a PIAA quarterfinal Friday on Trib HSSN.
Out: None
Pennsylvania
A battle over mail ballots in Pennsylvania is latest example of messy disputes over election rules
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The recount underway in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race marks the end of a chaotic post-election period that has become the latest example of how disputed election rules can expose weak points in a core function of American democracy.
The ballot-counting process in the race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick has become a spectacle of hours-long election board meetings, social media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that some county officials are openly flouting the law.
The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead.
As the race headed toward a recount, which must be concluded by next Tuesday, Republicans have been claiming that Democrats are trying to steal McCormick’s seat by counting “illegal votes.” Casey’s campaign has said Republicans are trying to block enough votes to prevent him from pulling ahead and winning.
A big part of the dispute has centered around the date requirement on the return envelope that contains a mail-in ballot.
Republicans say state law and court precedent is clear and that mail ballots must be discarded if their envelopes don’t meet the criteria. Democrats insist that ballots shouldn’t be tossed out because of what they call technicalities.
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Several Democratic-controlled county election boards have been counting mail-in ballots in which the voter either wrote the wrong date on the return envelope or didn’t write one at all, despite the state Supreme Court saying just days before the election that such ballots shouldn’t be counted.
On Monday, the Democratic-majority high court reasserted its authority, ruling 4-3 to override active litigation in county courts and order local election boards to obey prior rulings that said such ballots cannot be added to the tally.
“Only the courts under our charter may declare a statute, or provision thereof, unconstitutional,” wrote Justice Kevin Brobson, a Republican.
Some Democrats had said the issue had been a legal gray area before Monday’s ruling. Democratic-majority election boards in Montgomery County, Philadelphia and Bucks County had voted to count ballots that lacked a correct date, while Republicans had said including a date is a critical element of ballot security.
Omar Sabir, the chairman of Philadelphia’s election board, pointed out that a county judge had recently ordered the board to count such ballots in a lawsuit stemming from a September special election.
“I think we as commissioners have discretion to decide which ballots can count, and that’s our right under Pennsylvania statute,” Sabir said Tuesday.
But it was a statement from a Democratic commissioner in Bucks County, a heavily populated political swing county just north of Philadelphia, that ignited social media outrage and threats of legal retaliation from Republicans.
In a meeting last week, Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, voted to count provisional ballots that were missing one of two required voter signatures. She did so after being told by a county attorney that the state Supreme Court had already ruled that such ballots can’t be counted.
“We all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country and people violate laws any time they want,” she said. “So for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it. There is nothing more important than counting votes.”
The video of her statement spread quickly among conservatives, often wrongly portraying it as justifying a separate vote by the Bucks County election board to count mail ballots that arrived at local election offices in undated or misdated envelopes.
“This is a BLATANT violation of the law and we intend to fight it every step of the way,” Lara Trump, President-elect Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the RNC, wrote in a post on X that received 1.2 million views.
Ellis-Marseglia didn’t return a call to clarify what she meant. But the county board chair, Democrat Bob Harvie, said in a statement that commissioners had voted to protect the rights of voters — not sway an election.
The controversy over the decisions by some Democrats to take actions that appeared to contradict Pennsylvania law evoked similar disputes in several other states over the role of local election boards in certifying results. Some Republicans on those boards in recent years have voted against certification without any evidence of problems or wrongdoing, and did so despite their duty under state law.
The attacks on certification begun in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and his allies raised concerns that partisans on local election boards could essentially block the will of the voters without justification. The moves prompted several Democratic-led states to pass laws clarifying the process.
In Pennsylvania, Republicans were quick to criticize local Democrats who voted to accept the mailed ballots that came in undated or wrongly dated envelopes. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley called it “corrupt and despicable.”
“This is the kind of conduct that undermines faith in elections,” Whatley told reporters on a conference call. “When election officials pick and choose at the last minute which rules to follow and which to ignore, it naturally leads voters to lose trust in the process.”
Asked whether he thinks some county officials could face legal consequences, Whatley said Republicans were exploring options and would “pursue this to the fullest extent that we can.”
Even if the ballot-counting process this year is chaotic, it could produce a lasting result.
The legal challenges could lead to court decisions that dictate in future elections which ballots can and can’t be tallied, said Jeff Reber, a Republican who chairs the elections reform committee for the statewide association representing county commissioners.
“No one thinks the recount is going to change the outcome of the election,” he said. “The real battle is which ballots will be counted because that could be a precedent-setting decision.”
___
Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter
Pennsylvania
Dem governor breaks silence on illegal ballots in Pennsylvania Senate race and more top headlines
Good morning and welcome to Fox News’ morning newsletter, Fox News First. And here’s what you need to know to start your day …
TOP 3
1. Dem governor breaks weeks of silence in Pennsylvania Senate race.
2. Americans may learn why FEMA workers were told to skip Trump supporter homes.
3. Republicans throw wrench in Democratic confirmation machine.
MAJOR HEADLINES
NEXT STOP – Trump expands cabinet with former congressional star to ‘elevate’ Americans’ travel. Continue reading …
‘I WAS THERE’ – Illegal immigrant’s prison call may be smoking gun in Laken Riley murder case, expert says. Continue reading …
MONEY TALKS – Interviewers received large donations from Harris campaign ahead of sit-downs. Continue reading …
STRONG START – Trump out-pacing Biden, Obama even before he takes office after historic victory. Continue reading …
KREMLIN’S CAUTION – Putin signs revised doctrine lowering threshold for nuclear response if Russia is attacked. Continue reading …
—
POLITICS
POWERING UP – Trump’s energy ‘dream team’: Chris Wright and Doug Burgum’s potential to-do list. Continue reading …
‘COUNT ON IT’ – Member of Trump campaign says Pennsylvania Dems will face jail time over ballot recount. Continue reading …
RACE IS ON – Trump’s Treasury secretary pick: Who are the contenders? Continue reading …
BALANCE OF POWER – Size of slim Republican House majority hangs on 5 uncalled races. Continue reading …
Click here for more cartoons…
MEDIA
‘RATINGS TANK’ – ‘Morning Joe’ co-hosts called out for egg on their face after Trump sit-down. Continue reading …
TOSSED OUT – Katie Couric rips Harris for word salad responses in campaign interviews. Continue reading …
‘SICK AND TIRED’ – Californians reject progressive policies and politicians on Election Day. Continue reading …
‘DAMAGING’ – Washington Post columnist calls out ‘liberal media bias,’ says it’s hurting Democrats. Continue reading …
OPINION
HUGH HEWITT – Trump can unleash housing boom by ending ‘endangered’ scam. Continue reading …
LIZ PEEK – RFK Jr. wants to disrupt our powerful health care complex and it is terrified. Continue reading …
—
IN OTHER NEWS
ROOM FOR GROWTH – Kevin O’Leary voices support for Musk and Ramaswamy’s DOGE. Continue reading …
VIRAL EFFECT – COVID-19 virus could attack cancer cells and shrink tumors, new study suggests. Continue reading …
AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on holiday traditions, foods, travel spots and more. Take the quiz …
STAYING SAFE – Growing number of shoppers facing fraud: what to know. Continue reading …
WILD RIDE – Ostrich goes for stunning sprint with tourist on its back. See video …
WATCH
TOM HOMAN – Incoming Trump border czar’s warning for officials who may look to obstruct his efforts to secure the border. See video …
GINA BOLVIN – Market gains being pulled forward by post-election ‘euphoria.’ See video …
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FOX WEATHER
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