Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, gave up the Senate seat to his Republican rival, Dave McCormick, on Thursday.
Shortly after Casey’s concession, NBC News predicted McCormick’s victory in the fiercely contested battleground state election, further bolstering the GOP’s recently secured Senate majority.
“I just called Dave McCormick to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate,” Casey told avideoonX. “As the first count of ballot is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last.”
In a statement, McCormick expressed gratitude to Casey, stating that Casey has devoted his professional life to advancing our commonwealth.
He went on to say, “I will fight for you every day and I am so honored to represent every single citizen in Pennsylvania in the United States Senate.”
After Casey’s concession, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidts announced Friday that the automatic recount that had been triggered by the race’s narrow margin would be stopped.
Earlier this month, The Associated Press called the contest for McCormick, who then declared victory. Despite Republican criticism for delaying his concession, Casey maintained optimism while the last provisional ballots were tabulated.
Another setback for Casey came Monday, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered state election officials to halt counting mail-in ballots that had missing or incorrect dates on their outer envelopes.
McCormick received 48.8% of the vote, compared to Casey’s 48.6%, when 99.8% of the anticipated votes were counted. Just over 16,000 votes separate the candidates.
With McCormick’s victory, Republicans now have a 53-47 seat edge in the upcoming Congress, adding to their majority in the Senate this year. His win might facilitate the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices.
Beginning in January, Republicans will hold majorities in the House and Senate as well as the White House.
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