Sen. Casey & Dave McCormick Campaign Before Presidential Debate

Control of the U.S. Senate is hanging in the balance this year. In Pennsylvania, Democrat Senator Bob Casey is defending his seat against Republican Candidate Dave McCormick, who ran against Mehmet Oz in 2022 and lost.

Right now, Senator Casey is leading in the polls by 2-6 points. Campaign finance website Open Secrets says Pennsylvania is the third most expensive senate race in the nation.

As these two face off against each other—they have to manage backlash from national politics as well. A day before the debate, both candidates are on the campaign trail in central Pennsylvania.

Senator Casey spoke at the Teamsters Local 776 headquarters in Camp Hill, stoking support among labor groups.

“When we have stronger unions and more unions, America is stronger economically,” said Casey in his speech.

An hour later, McCormick spoke to some of the Harrisburg Jewish Community in a round table luncheon.

“This is an existential war for Israel they have to win. The Israeli people have to figure out how to best do that, with the leadership that they elected. It is a democracy,” said McCormick. “They have to figure it out. We have to support them in doing it. And we need to give them strong military support in carrying out the fight.”

Both candidates support the respective presidential nominee for their party—but are emphasizing their individual policies over ties to the national political scene.

“I do what’s best for Pennsylvanians; sometimes that means voting for Republican presidents, sometimes that means voting with Democrat presidents,” said Casey when asked on his choice to support the Harris Walz ticket.

“What the next Congress needs to do, when we have that big tax debate, is to focus on a substantial tax cut for the middle class,” said Casey. "That would be new because we've had 40 years of the tax code being rigged for the most powerful corporations and the wealthiest people.”

Today, McCormick laid out specific stances on abortion.

“We need common ground on this topic. I support the three exceptions of rape, incest, life of the mother,” said McCormick. “And I would be opposed to any national legislation that would ban or restrict abortions. This should be a states rights issue.”

McCormick also laid out policies to limit trade and investment with China— pushing back against Casey campaign attack ads on McCormick’s time as a hedge fund manager.

While candidates embrace personalization, tomorrow’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump could impact their state race.

“It'll be an interesting moment, I think, for the country. But I think I've got to continue to focus on what I've got to do as a candidate,” said Casey when asked how Vice President Harris should appeal to independent voters. “And make sure that people know the difference between my opponent and me."

“This set of policies is a San Francisco liberal agenda that is completely out of touch with Pennsylvania,” said McCormick, speaking on Kamala Harris’s previous and current stances. "That’s what the debates about. That's what the election's about.”