Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on Sunday said his internal polling is closer than some public surveys, which he suggested to MSNBC’s “The Weekend” shows a “two-point race” between him and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick.
Casey responded with humor after host Alicia Menendez noted a recent poll showed the incumbent handily beating his Republican challenger, declaring the results do not reflect his campaign’s internal findings.
“I wish they did,” said Casey. “Polling will bounce around, but we’re in a very close race now. We’re probably in a two-point race in my race.”
While many polls show Casey leading McCormick and former President Donald Trump beating Vice President Kamala Harris, the senator suggested the races are similarly close.
“I think Kamala Harris about close to that, we’re very much aligned,” said Casey, before blaming “the wealthiest people on the planet earth,” for supporting Republicans.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, endorsed Trump after the former president survived an assassination attempt on July 13.
Musk has also campaigned with Trump, donated to efforts to see the former president elected, and funded an initiative to increase voter registrations in battleground states.
Casey said he and Harris can still win Pennsylvania by reaching undecided voters.
“I think in the end, if we keep working, there’s still a lot of voters up for grabs,” said Casey. “We’ve got to earn their vote and continue to speak directly to this economic message.”
Earlier in the interview, Casey acknowledged voters are concerned about costs, and argued his stance against “greedflation” will reach voters, though McCormick has mocked the term by calling it “Bobflation” and releasing a calculator of increased costs over Casey’s time in office.
The McCormick campaign claimed the Democrat was “clearly rattled” in a post to the social media platform X.
Bob Casey (clearly rattled): "I wish" my internal poll numbers looked better.Â
"We're probably in a two point race." pic.twitter.com/pkTGFi7AgU
— McCormick War Room (@TeamMcCormickPA) October 15, 2024
Other public polling and Casey’s internal data, including two polls released after Casey and McCormick held their first debate on October 3, suggest a close Senate race in Pennsylvania.
Both campaigns claimed victory after the debate, but only days later, a poll found him narrowly trailing Casey in a statistical tie. A second poll was even narrower, with Casey leading McCormick by just 1.6 percent in a poll with a margin of error of 3 percent.
Polls have yet to capture the impact the second debate between Casey and McCormick will have on voters in the election’s final weeks.
Watch Casey’s full remarks on MSNBC:
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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 MSNBC.
