Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick squared off in their first debate Thursday evening, less than five weeks ahead of what is expected to be one of the most closely watched races this election cycle.
Casey and McCormick took the debate stage Thursday at 8 p.m. in Harrisburg, where the two traded barbs over issues such as the economy and inflation, immigration, abortion. The race, which is rated as “leans Democrat” by the Cook Political Report, is expected to be one of the tightest Senate races across the country, with Casey himself acknowledging earlier this year that it will be a “close, tough race.”
Casey has long been a Pennsylvania Democratic stalwart, first winning his election to the U.S. Senate in 2007. The Casey name also has deep roots in the state, with Bob Casey Sr., the senator’s father, serving as the Keystone State’s governor from 1987 to 1995, following years of serving in various other elected roles.
McCormick is an Army combat veteran and former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, who served as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security as well as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under former President George W. Bush’s administration. Former President Donald Trump endorsed McCormick in April, lauding him as a “a good man” who “wants to run a good ship.”
The Senate race comes as the federal election spotlights Pennsylvania once again as a key battleground state that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump narrowly won the state in his successful 2016 election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while President Biden declared victory in the Keystone State in the 2020 election.
As the pair squared off for the first of two debates ahead of Nov. 5, Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments of Thursday’s event.
Amid the immigration debate, McCormick blamed the Biden-Harris administration and Casey for the immigration crisis at the southern border.
“The border crisis is the direct result of the weakness of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And Bob Casey supported them every second. What chutzpah to run an ad on how tough he is on the border, when he voted against funding for the Border Patrol. He ran an ad in front of the wall that he voted against. He voted for sanctuary cities, he voted for federal benefits for illegal immigrants. And the fentanyl crisis that’s come across our border is the direct result of the weakness of Bob Casey not standing up to these terrible cartels,” McCormick argued.
The pair have agreed to another debate, next taking the same stage in Philadelphia on Oct. 15.
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