Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick on Wednesday argued Pennsylvania voters are willing to support an “underdog” candidate like him against his three-term incumbent, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), but ultimately attributed the recent tightening in polling data to the Democrat being “out of step” with his constituents.

McCormick on Wednesday appeared on “Fox & Friends,” where said his race to unseat Casey is gaining momentum, driven by both his status as a “challenger” and “an underdog,” but also by Casey’s alleged distance from his constituents.

He argued, “the reason the race is closing and closing so dramatically is because Senator Casey has been such a weak leader and has really gotten out of step with Pennsylvania. Bob Casey went to the Senate to change Washington and Washington changed Bob Casey.”

The Republican seemed to predict Casey would lose support in the days ahead, with the majority of voters willing to cast a ballot for new leaders in November.

“He’s out of step,” McCormick said of Casey. “The more people get exposed to me and Bob Casey, the more they’re going to see that I can bring some real independent leadership to Pennsylvania.”

While the RealClearPolling average of surveys shows Casey with a consistent lead over McCormick, the Republican referenced an early September poll that showed the race tied, with both men supported by 46 percent of respondents.

That poll, conducted by SRSS and released by CNN, also showed former President Donald Trump tied with Vice President Kamala Harris in the Keystone State.

McCormick also commented on the race between Trump and Harris during his Fox News appearance, describing the Biden-Harris administration as “terrible” for American citizens’ economic prosperity and physical safety.

“When [Harris] talks about security, the economic security and the [safety] of Americans under President Biden and Vice President Harris has been terrible,” said McCormick.

The Republican listed, “10 million illegal immigrants, violent crime in our cities, the fentanyl crisis that’s spiraling out of control, and the economic insecurity that comes with compounded inflation of more than 20 percent which is killing working families.”

McCormick added, “If you want to talk about the security of Americans and Pennsylvanians under this administration — it has been very bad.”

His appearance came one day after the McCormick campaign released two new ads. Both ads highlighted Harris’ past statements about banning fracking in Pennsylvania and stressed the endorsements McCormick received from law enforcement unions.

Watch McCormick’s full appearance:

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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 “Bob Casey” by Bob Casey. Photo “Dave McCormick” by Dave McCormick.