Pennsylvania Democrats are still trying to steal a Senate race from Republican Dave McCormick, who has won the seat. Ousted incumbent Sen. Bob Casey won't admit that he's actually been ousted, however, and as we've covered for days now, he's enlisted the help of lawyer Marc Elias to drag out the process. The state is preparing for a recount -- to which Casey is entitled under the law -- which will push the final conclusion until the brink of Thanksgiving. "As outlined in Act 97, the 67 county boards of elections must begin their recounts by Wednesday, Nov. 20, and complete them by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The boards must send Mr. Schmidt the results of their recounts no later than noon on Wednesday, Nov. 27," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Additional context and details from the article:
This is the eighth time a recount has been triggered in an election in Pennsylvania since Act 97 passed in 2004...Mr. McCormick was involved in the most recent recount in 2022 when he trailed Mehmet Oz in the Republican Senate primary by a razor-thin margin of 0.07 percentage points, or 972 votes. The automatic recount affirmed Mr. Oz’s victory and Mr. McCormick promptly conceded...Recounts that have changed the result of a statewide election are exceptionally rare. Of the 6,929 statewide election recounts across the country between 2000 and 2023, only three resulted in the trailing candidate coming out ahead, according to an analysis by the election-focused nonprofit FairVote. The four automatic recounts that have taken place in Pennsylvania during that time have all confirmed the leading candidates’ victories...
The Associated Press called the race for Mr. McCormick on Nov. 7, writing that the outstanding votes “were not enough in areas supporting Casey for him to make up the difference.” ... McCormick has filed several lawsuits and appeals to invalidate batches of votes across the state, including 405 misdated or undated ballots in Bucks County that he alleges the local board of elections counted in violation of the state’s ballot dating requirement. How many of these votes were for Mr. Casey has not been released publicly. During a news conference last Friday, Mr. McCormick said that his campaign’s legal action was merely procedural, rather than being sparked by a concern that he could lose.
Some interesting tidbits there, including how McCormick himself was involved in the state's past recount, when the margin was in the hundreds, rather than the tens of thousands. He lost, and "promptly conceded." And his team's lawsuits to throw out the unlawful counting of illegal ballots isn't merely justified, it's absolutely necessary, given the lawlessness and corruption at play. This is genuinely outrageous:
Bob Casey and Democrats are advocating for and getting open lawlessness. This is an outrage. These are the chief election officials of one the largest counties in Pennsylvania. https://t.co/6NWXCmAK9C
— Wally Zimolong (@WallyZimolong) November 14, 2024
Democrats in PA are openly defying court rulings from the state’s Supreme Court to benefit Bob Casey.
— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) November 15, 2024
“People violate laws any time they want,” the Bucks County Commissioner said as she cast a vote Thursday to count certain deficient provisional ballots previously barred by… pic.twitter.com/p1QeiRC7Ln
That soundbyte is extraordinary. She's openly violating the law, and she admits it, in open session, on camera. That woman, by the way, is also a Bob Casey donor:
Diane Ellis-Marseglia, the Bucks County commissioner who is openly breaking the law to count invalid ballots, contributed to @bob_casey's campaign in September. https://t.co/jF1pMJvUly pic.twitter.com/eelMtMTl7n
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 16, 2024
This goes beyond partisan games. This is sinister election denial and corruption. She and others are flouting not only the clearly-written law, but also a specific ruling on this very point from the (majority Democratic) state Supreme Court. As Sarah noted yesterday, this lawlessness has earned a rebuke from the left-leaning Washington Post editorial board:
Brutal - Bob Casey and Pennsylvania Democrats got blasted by their own allies at the Washington Post editorial board for trying to steal an election.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) November 16, 2024
“The mere attempt to defy judicial rulings is corrosive to democracy and invites similar behavior in future elections.” pic.twitter.com/87fh57Xl9G
Pennsylvania's Secretary of State has now issued a gentle reminder that laws are not optional. Some lefties are starting to worry that the lawbreakers could end up in serious trouble:
lot of people are gonna get in a lot of legal trouble over a race Casey won't win https://t.co/aQVxZcnmYm
— umichvoter 🏳️🌈 (@umichvoter) November 17, 2024
One well-known, veteran Democratic figure in the state said days ago that Casey should give up this quixotic, illegitimate humiliation and throw in the towel:
Mark Singel isn’t just any Democratic strategist he served with Casey’s father as his lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and assume the role of acting governor for 6 months during Casey's lengthy battle with amyloidosis and subsequent multiple organ transplant. https://t.co/Xn7wWjpGMI
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) November 14, 2024
The Post-Gazette story quoted above notes that the McCormick campaign is fighting all of this tooth and nail on principle, not out of fear that they might somehow lose. The race is over:
4.5k ballots in Delaware is the last substantial batch left. The initial count is over Bob Casey lost by tens of thousands. Now we’re on to a recount that will change nothing and cost $2m
— Mark Davin Harris (@markdharris) November 17, 2024
I'll leave you with a sitting Senator making clear that the upper chamber intends to seat Senator-elect McCormick:
If Bob Casey doesn’t concede, Pennsylvania keeps counting illegal votes, & Casey relies on those votes to claim victory, the Senate could refuse to seat him
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) November 16, 2024
Article I, Sec. 5, Cl. 1: “Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members” https://t.co/LVPyKxnyMN
Join the conversation as a VIP Member