Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick on Friday visited Charleroi, Pennsylvania, which has seen a 2,000 percent increase in the arrivals of migrants to the community, to attend an event with residents affected by the closure of a glass plant.
“I’m here today to stand in solidarity with these workers in the fight to keep these jobs here, to build a vibrant economy for our Commonwealth, and to ensure that these Pennsylvania communities are not left behind,” said McCormick during a Charleroi stop on his Poor Leadership Tour that included a joint appearance with workers affected by the closure of a Corelle glass plant owned by Anchor Hocking.
Charleroi boasts a population of just 4,000, and 300 residents will reportedly lose their jobs when the factory closed.
McCormick directed blame toward his Democratic opponent, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and his Democratic allies.
“It is all about leadership. Bob Casey has failed you every step of the way,” said McCormick. “Eighteen years in office, and he hasn’t done a thing. He talks a lot about manufacturing jobs, but he hasn’t done a thing that actually makes your jobs easier [and] makes it easier to keep great opportunities here in Charleroi.”
McCormick, in a post to the social media platform X, “Bob Casey’s weakness and failed policies have been devastating for these hard-working Pennsylvanians, and the most [Casey] could muster was a sad letter weeks too late.”
Anchor Hocking is eliminating more than 300 Pennsylvania jobs in Charleroi.
Today on our Price of Poor Leadership Tour, we joined Corelle employees and members of the Charleroi community to highlight the importance of keeping these good jobs, which have been here for… pic.twitter.com/PqjUwRHSKD
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) September 20, 2024
He was joined at the stop by Charleroi Borough Council Member Larry Celaschi, who said local officials repeatedly attempted to contact Casey for help without result until Casey sent a letter to the company on Thursday and issued a public statement Friday.
“His office finally crawled out of a hole and sent two staff aides to meet us three days ago because they were scrambling when they caught wind that Dave McCormick was coming to Charleroi. In this meeting, they were clueless as to the magnitude of what was happening in Charleroi,” said Celaschi.
He added that Casey only sent a letter to the factory’s owners one day before McCormick’s event.
“Late yesterday, Bob Casey sent out a letter to the Anchor Hocking CEO. In this letter dated, September 19, Casey said, ‘Please provide answers to the following questions that he posed before October 1st,'” said Celaschi.
He told the audience, “Mr. Casey — you knew nothing about what was going on here in Charleroi with the closing of these two plants because if you did know, you would know that we don’t have until October 1st.”
McCormick first highlighted the struggles experienced by Pennsylvanians in Charleroi last week when the Republican’s campaign shared reporting that compared the number of Haitians in the community to the number in Springfield, Ohio.
Watch McCormick’s full event:
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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.Â
