The Senate Leadership Fund confirmed on Thursday it will spend $24 million to support U.S. Senate nominee David McCormick in Pennsylvania, signaling further support for the former Trump administration official in the tight race to unseat Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).
A Thursday report by German-owned Politico described the $24 million investment by the Senate Leadership PAC, which is closely tied to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), as “going all in on Pennsylvania.”
The report explained the $24 million advertising campaign is a “sign of confidence” in McCormick’s ability to win the support of Pennsylvania voters in November. It will reportedly air for one month, beginning on September 3, with commercials airing on broadcast television, cable, radio and online.
McConnell, who announced earlier this year his plan to retire from leading the Senate Republicans in November, previously suggested the party should focus on Pennsylvania in May.
At the same time, McConnell claimed in an interview that Republicans have problem with “[c]andidate quality.” He argued, “It’s important to not get too excited, because it’s noteworthy that in the last cycle, not a single incumbent lost. So what’s the message? Candidate quality.”
The new wave of financial support for McCormick comes after a political action committee tied to the candidate reserved $30 million in advertising.
When it announced the advertising commitment in late May, the Keystone Renewal PAC confirmed in it was “all in to elect David McCormick,” and warned against Casey’s alignment with President Joe Biden’s “left wing agenda.”
While pro-McCormick groups pour advertising dollars into Pennsylvania, both the Republican and Casey have sparred with their own campaign advertisements.
Most recently, the Casey campaign released an ad that claimed McCormick “opposes abortion rights” and is “backed by extreme groups who would ban abortion nationwide.”
McCormick responded with his own advertisement on Thursday. In the ad, McCormick personally responds to the claims raised by the Casey campaign.
“Have you seen this ad from Bob Casey?” the ad said. After playing part of the Democrat’s commercial, McCormick stated in his own, “He knows it’s a lie. I believe any abortion law should make exceptions for rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in danger.”
McCormick additionally appeared on Wednesday in Delaware County to reveal his “comprehensive pro-family plan.” He first argued that the policies put forward by Biden and enacted by Casey and Democrats in the Senate were responsible for inflation and high prices.
The Republican then vowed to vote against any federal effort to restrict in vitro fertilization (IVF) and to advance legislation to make it more affordable.
“As your senator, I will oppose any effort to restrict IVF. But I’ll go even further than that: Every family should get a $15,000 tax credit for fertility expenses like IVF,” said McCormick after noting his company “helped pay for fertility services like IVF, which are often not covered by insurance and can be prohibitively expensive.”
The Real Clear Polling average of polls remains close, with McCormick currently down just 5.3 percent against Casey, who first won election to the U.S. Senate in 2006.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dave McCormick” by Dave McCormick. Photo “Bob Casey” by Bob Casey.
