The Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic incumbent Bob Casey is heading to a recount amid controversy and legal challenges. Mr. McCormick leads by approximately 17,000 votes with 99% of votes counted, but the narrow margin (less than 0.5%) has triggered an automatic recount under state law.
The Associated Press called the race for Mr. McCormick on Nov. 7, determining that remaining uncounted areas wouldn’t provide enough votes for Mr. Casey to overcome the deficit. However, Mr. Casey has not conceded, and the recount must begin by Wednesday and conclude by Nov. 26.
The situation has become more complex due to disputes over mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect dates on return envelopes. Despite a September state Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the counting of misdated ballots, several counties — including Bucks, Centre, and Montgomery — have voted to count these contested ballots anyway. This has prompted litigation from Republicans and the McCormick campaign.
Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia defended the decision to count misdated ballots by suggesting that court precedents are regularly ignored. However, Secretary of State Al Schmidt has urged vote counters to segregate undated and incorrectly dated ballots during the recount process, citing ongoing litigation.
The McCormick campaign remains confident of victory, with lead strategist Mark Davin Harris asserting that Mr. McCormick’s lead exceeds the number of remaining uncounted ballots, even after Montgomery County included contested votes in its final count.
The controversy has drawn criticism from unexpected quarters, including The Washington Post’s editorial board, which published a piece criticizing Pennsylvania Democrats for disregarding the rule of law by counting court-ruled invalid ballots. The board argued that such actions undermine democracy and could set a dangerous precedent for future elections.
Read more: Pennsylvania Senate race sparks litigation, criticism
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