(WHTM) – The race for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania is officially set with incumbent Democrat Bob Casey now set to face Republican nominee Dave McCormick.

Both Casey, a three-term Senator, and McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, ran unopposed in the April 23 primary after opponents failed to make the primary ballot.

In a race that may decide how the U.S. Senate swings in 2025, Casey has led McCormick in most major polls. A March Emerson College/abc27/The Hill poll showed Casey leading 45% to 41% with 14% undecided.

McCormick was given a clear path to the primary this year after a bruising campaign in 2022 where he lost to Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. Former President Trump’s endorsement of Oz over McCormick likely shifted the primary, though Oz ultimately lost the general election to John Fetterman by more than 263,000 votes.

After State Senator and 2022 gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano announced he would not run for U.S. Senate, the Pennsylvania Republican Party rallied around McCormick, seemingly learning from the 2022 Senate race where seven Republicans made the primary ballot.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Bloomsburg, McCormick continues to face criticism over his time living on Connecticut’s “Gold Coast, which was highlighted during the 2022 campaign and prior to him jumping into the 2024 race.

Early in the 2024 race, McCormick has attempted to remind voters of his Pennsylvania roots, rolling out ads highlighting his high school wrestling career before going to West Point.

McCormick earned a Bronze Star while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division during the Gulf War. He entered the private sector and became a top executive of Bridgewater, which, as noted by the Associated Press in 2022, was “notable for its sizable portfolio that catered to Chinese investors investing in China.”

He also served in the U.S. Treasury Department during George W. Bush’s administration and was reportedly considered for multiple cabinet positions under Donald Trump.

McCormick’s campaign website says “he’ll work to rein in government spending, oppose tax increases, and exercise fiscal responsibility to lessen the burden on the people of the commonwealth.” He has also promised that he’ll “fight to secure the border,” “restore America’s military might,” and propose a plan to “thwart China’s aggressive ambitions.”

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This Week in Pennsylvania

The son of the late former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey Sr., Senator Casey won his last re-election bid against Lou Barletta by 13 points in 2018 and is the longest-serving Democratic U.S. Senator in Pennsylvania history.

In January 2023 Casey announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery in February. He returned to the Senate weeks after the surgery with his doctor saying it “went well and that Casey should not need further treatment.

Early in the race, Casey has focused on “greedflation” with consumer product prices remaining high coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

McCormick has targeted Casey’s support of President Joe Biden, saying “Casey has blindly supported every disastrous Bidenomics policy that has crushed Pennsylvania families and contributed to our debt spiraling out of control.”

According to FiveThirtyEight, Casey “voted with” Biden 98.5% of the time from January 2021 through December 2022. The only vote against was “Providing for congressional disapproval of the sale of certain weapons to Saudi Arabia.”

Eight other Democratic U.S. Senators voted with Biden 100% of the time and seven others voted with him at the same rate as Casey.

PA Senate Race: Bob Casey leads Dave McCormick by double digits in new poll

Casey and McCormick’s success on the November ballot may ultimately hinge on the presidential election with Donald Trump and Joe Biden likely to be their party’s nominees.

Pennsylvanians have voted Democrat in seven of the last eight presidential elections dating back to 1992, the only exception was Trump in 2016. In the last four presidential elections, the winner of Pennsylvania has taken home the White House.

Potential third party candidates in the 2024 Senate race have until August 1 to file nomination petitions.

The general election is November 5, 2024. The last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania is October 21 and the last day to request a mail ballot is October 29.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.