(The Center Square) – Republican Dave McCormick clings to a one-point lead over incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. early Wednesday.
With 95% of the ballots counted, the race is running far tighter than others up and down the ballot. President-elect Donald Trump carried the state by three points, while statewide row office candidates hold comfortable leads in excess of five points.
Two congressional seats in the U.S. House may also flip, tipping the Pennsylvania delegation 10-7 into the hands of Republicans. Those races, in the 7th and 8th Congressional Districts, are still too close to call.
McCormick, however, is outperforming months of polling that showed him two or three points behind Casey – even after two debates that brought the candidates opposing views on inflation and immigration to a head.
Border security was one of the most concerning issues for Pennsylvanians, according to recent polling, on par with inflation and abortion access.
McCormick’s platform draws a symbiotic relationship between immigration and economic reforms, while Casey lays the blame at the feet of “price gouging” food corporations.
