Sen. Bob Casey’s refusal to concede the election is damaging the residents of Pennsylvania.
Republican Dave McCormick defeated the three-term incumbent in an upset one week in the past.
Casey initially refused to concede the election till the commonwealth hand-counted all of the Nov. 5 ballots from GOP-majority Cambria County.
An Election Day laptop drawback necessitated using paper ballots and hand counting, and because the votes had been counted and recorded in Cambria Wednesday and Thursday, McCormick’s lead grew, main even the Related Press to name the race Thursday.
Casey subsequent turned to the canvassing of provisional ballots as his rationale for refusing to just accept the fact of his defeat.
In Pennsylvania, the canvassing of provisional ballots is a sluggish, arcane course of that may differ county by county.
McCormick maintains a couple of 35,000-vote lead over Casey as of this writing.
And whereas hope springs everlasting, the variety of provisional ballots remaining to be counted and McCormick’s constantly massive margin throughout the commonwealth result in the inescapable conclusion: Mighty Sen. Casey has struck out.
Dave McCormick will preserve a big lead when all of the provisional ballots are counted.
Underneath Pennsylvania legislation, if the margin is lower than 0.5%, an automated recount will likely be triggered at an expense of about $2 million to taxpayers.
However the associated fee isn’t simply monetary; it’s additionally taking beneficial time and a spotlight away from McCormick he must be devoting to creating the absolute best transition into workplace to serve the folks of Pennsylvania.
Why, then, does our senior senator refuse to concede?
Maybe that is all about cash, for all through the post-election interval, Casey and the Democratic Nationwide Committee have despatched a flurry of fundraising emails earnestly imploring would-be donors, “If we’re going to send Bob Casey back to the Senate and hold the line for our rights and freedoms, we need your immediate support to ensure that every last vote in this PA Senate race is counted.”
On condition that Casey despatched this electronic mail on Saturday, Nov. 9, his refusal to concede could also be serving to the senator and the DNC increase funds to pay payments and/or extinguish marketing campaign debt.
It’s value noting that nowhere on this predatory electronic mail is a point out of the vote depend, the remaining provisional ballots or the mathematical improbability of something aside from that Dave McCormick is Pennsylvania’s senator-elect.
Casey has two erstwhile companions on this race to the underside — Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer and Democrat “superlawyer” Marc Elias.
Sure, that Marc Elias, the person behind the Steele file, two years of Russiagate and a fame of losing time and hoovering up cash in election-related litigation.
Schumer’s contribution to this folly was his preliminary refusal to ask Senator-elect McCormick to the orientation for brand new senators, and that is the place Casey’s refusal to concede really hurts Pennsylvanians.
Having run statewide in Pennsylvania twice and having supported Republican candidates and elected officers for greater than 20 years, I do know our public servants are, on the coronary heart, folks earlier than the rest.
The primary impressions, shared experiences and conversations which can be a part of any orientation are important for our senator-elect as he seeks to signify us in Washington.
Interpersonal relationships go a good distance for everybody, however particularly in politics.
Making an attempt to disclaim McCormick the flexibility to attend orientations was a distraction and a menace to impede McCormick’s alternative to advocate amongst his new colleagues for legal guidelines and insurance policies that profit Pennsylvania.
Schumer’s preliminary refusal to permit McCormick to take part on this necessary ceremony of passage was due to this fact an affront to all Pennsylvanians.
Casey’s refusal to place apart his damage and assist with McCormick’s transition to the Senate is likewise an affront to the constituents he has served for nearly 30 years in statewide workplace.
If Casey’s conduct causes McCormick to overlook out on a key employees rent or an important committee project, his pettiness goes from petulant to vindictive and finally damaging.
For his legacy, and extra necessary for the nice of our fellow Pennsylvanians, Casey should do the suitable factor and concede.
After an extended and grueling marketing campaign that examined every man’s character underneath intense scrutiny, the folks of Pennsylvania made a alternative on Election Day between Bob Casey and Dave McCormick.
How Casey is behaving offers additional proof of why nearly all of Pennsylvanians determined McCormick is the suitable man to signify our commonwealth going ahead.
Jeff Bartos is a Republican strategist from Pennsylvania.
Twitter: @Jeff_Bartos
