Doug Mastriano Passes On Senate Run, Allowing Dave McCormick to Challenge Bob Casey

State Sen. Doug Mastriano decided that he will not run for US Senate after hyping a long-awaited announcement on Facebook Live. This allows former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick to challenge Sen. Bob Casey in 2024.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) announced on Thursday that he is not running for US Senate in 2024 in an effort to unseat popular incumbent, Democrat Bob Casey.  He made the announcement on Facebook live in front of 500 viewers.  

Mastriano gained notoriety during the pandemic for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus and Pennsylvania’s 2020 election results, which helped fuel the attack on the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  

While this helped Mastriano earn the Republican nomination for governor last year, his extreme views and behavior led to his lopsided loss to former state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The senator finished the race with over $1 million leftover in his campaign coffers and finance reports show that he has used some of that money in the most recent primary helping Republicans win local offices.  

Mastriano’s decision clears a major roadblock in the Republican primary field for Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund executive who lost to Dr. Mehmet Oz in last year’s GOP Senate primary, to make a run against Casey.  

Following Mastriano’s announcement, McCormick thanked Mastriano for his military service and dedication to Pennsylvania and claimed that “Casey has consistently made life worse for Pennsylvania families over the past 18 years.”  

During the last year’s primary, McCormick described himself as “someone who’s pro-life, who’s been pro-life” prior to the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Axios reported that during a debate with Oz, McCormick supported banning abortions except “in the very rare instances there should be exceptions for the life of the mother.” 
Politico reported that Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is considering a run for the US Senate, but she acknowledged that challenging Casey would be an uphill battle. Republican consultant Josh Novotney told the outlet that “Casey is more popular than Biden in Pennsylvania and will likely outperform him.”