The U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick is heading for a recount. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick, but with a narrow margin of about 28,000 votes, a recount was triggered under Pennsylvania law. Counties have until Nov. 26 to complete the recount by running paper ballots through high-speed scanners. Former election officials believe that the outcome may only change by a few hundred votes.
The McCormick campaign has been challenging provisional ballots of registered Democrats, leading to delays in the vote counting process. Despite pressure from Republicans, Casey has not conceded and his campaign manager accused McCormick of trying to disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters. Both sides are engaged in legal battles over the validity of certain ballots, with Democrats accusing Republicans of systematically challenging provisional ballots. McCormick’s campaign consultant claimed that the delays were a strategy to chip away at their lead.
McCormick, who was in Washington attending Senate orientation, is confident in his victory and believes that the recount will not change the outcome. The Republican campaign is challenging provisional ballots within the bounds of the law, according to their consultant. However, Democrats argue that the process is being dragged out by large Democratic-controlled counties that are not adding the results of processed ballots to the vote totals. Tens of thousands of provisional ballots are being processed, with challenges from both campaigns and state parties.
Litigation is a possibility as the recount continues, with legal battles over the validity of certain ballots. In Bucks County, a Democratic-majority election board voted to count mail-in ballots without a correct handwritten date on the outer envelope, which Republicans are challenging. Previous court decisions have deemed it unconstitutional to throw out such ballots, but higher courts have overturned those decisions. The outcome of the recount in Pennsylvania’s Senate election remains uncertain as the process continues. Both campaigns are prepared to fight for their candidate’s victory in court if necessary.
