What does a U.S. Senator do and who’s running for the office in Pennsylvania?

Incumbent Democrat Bob Casey is seeking a fourth term serving Pennsylvania in Washington. He’s running against Republican Dave McCormick, a former Connecticut-based hedge fund manager who served in the U.S. Army.

Pennsylvania is one of 34 states holding elections for the U.S. Senate this November. The outcome of each of these races is crucial to what our country will look like for the foreseeable future. 

Much of what President Joe Biden was able to accomplish these past couple of years, like dedicating significant funding to infrastructure projects and expanding domestic production of computer chips, was possible because Democrats have controlled the Senate. But that majority is razor thin.

Currently, Democrats hold the majority in the Senate by a margin of 51-49. Of the 34 seats up for election in November, 23 belong to Democrats or Independents. Republicans can retake control with a net gain of two seats or by winning the 2024 presidential election along with a net gain of one seat (the Vice President casts tie-breaking votes in the Senate).

Both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators are Democrats. In 2022, John Fetterman won the seat that had been held by Republican Pat Toomey, who retired from politics after serving two terms in the Senate. Bob Casey is seeking his fourth term serving Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. He’s being opposed by Republican businessman Dave McCormick, who unsuccessfully mounted a bid for Senate in 2022, losing to Dr. Mehmet Oz in the primary.

What does a U.S. Senator do?

Every state elects two U.S. Senators (yes, states as small as Rhode Island and as sparsely populated as South Dakota have the same number of U.S. Senators as Pennsylvania) to serve in the best interest of its residents in Washington. These senators are elected to serve six-year terms and are a part of the Legislative branch of government, which is considered the upper chamber of Congress.

Their constitutional powers include:

• Proposing legislation 
• Drafting or amending bills 
• Filibuster (delay or block legislation via prolonged debate) 
• Oversight of the federal budget
• Steering federal funding to projects in their states
• Approving or rejecting presidential appointees, such as Supreme Court justices

The Senate also approves treaties with foreign nations that were negotiated by presidents and other federal agencies, and has the power to convict an executive or judicial official with a two-thirds vote in an impeachment trial. 

Who is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania?

Scranton native Bob Casey is the son of former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey, Sr., who served from 1987-1995. 

Before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Casey previously served as state auditor general and state treasurer. 

In the Senate, Casey has advocated for increasing domestic manufacturing, especially for the steel and semiconductor industries in the commonwealth. 

He has worked with Republican colleagues on laws to thwart fraud scams directed at seniors, oversight of nursing homes, expanding home- and community-based services, and protecting older workers from age discrimination.

In recent years, Casey has brought home funding to Pennsylvania for roads, bridges, education and health care through his support of bills like President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the American Recovery Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act.

Over the last few months, Casey has been focused on pocketbook issues, going after corporations for price gouging (a practice he’s dubbed “greedflation”) along with calling out streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon for charging higher prices, despite offering less content and fewer services.   

Who is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania?

Casey is running for reelection against former Connecticut-based hedge fund manager, Dave McCormick, who was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area.

As a member of the U.S. Army, McCormick served in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. 

McCormick held several roles in the George W. Bush administration from 2005-09, before he served as the President of Bridgewater Associates from 2009 to 2020, and then as the investment management firm’s CEO from 2020 to 2022.

Federal tax forms show that Bridgewater Associates invested in China’s largest fentanyl producer, Humanwell Healthcare, when McCormick served as CEO.

The New York Times reported in 2016 that Bridgewater forced employees to sign extreme noncompete clause that banned them from seeking jobs in the financial services industry for two years after leaving the company. That stance is sharply at odds with public sentiment and the Biden administration, which banned noncompetes earlier this year. 

During his unsuccessful 2022 Senate campaign, McCormick said that he supported banning abortions with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

But in a recent interview, McCormick contradicted his anti-abortion messaging. 

“I’m not in favor of any bans, federal bans, federal legislation. I’m in favor of the three exceptions. I’m for widely available contraception. I’m for supporting adoption in young families that are struggling. And I’m for restrictions on late term abortions,” McCormick said on the Dawn Stensland Show.  

Are you ready to vote? Make sure to check your voter registration status, see who’s on your ballot, and make a voting plan here.