Incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey is panicking in Pennsylvania, and the surest sign of that comes from his latest political ad.
With challenger Dave McCormick closing in and Donald Trump holding a small but steady lead in the key swing state, Casey has begun running ads that paint him as a supporter of the former president. No, I’m not kidding. The rubber stamp for Chuck Schumer and his cohorts is claiming to have “bucked Biden” while standing behind Trump’s trade policies.
Bob Casey cozying up to Trump in ads and bragging he “bucked Biden” is the surest sign of who is leading in Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/kgC6f5H7a3
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 18, 2024
NARRATOR: Casey bucked Biden to protect fracking, and he sided with Trump to end NAFTA and put tariffs on China to stop them from cheating.
That’s odd. I’ve been assured by Kamala Harris that the Biden administration was never supportive of a ban on fracking. I guess Casey didn’t get the memo. The other mentions are also laughable. While it is true that Casey pushed for tariffs on China, he only did so deep into the current election cycle. In other words, it was clearly a political move meant to create some daylight between himself and a deeply unpopular presidential administration.
So what does this tell us? For one, it tells us that Casey legitimately fears the momentum McCormick has been building. A Democrat wouldn’t put out an ad talking about bucking his party’s president while bragging about working with Trump unless he knew things were too close for comfort. I mean, come on. Democrats compare Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Sure enough, the polls have tightened, with most of the October entries showing a two-point race. McCormick’s campaign staff also claim their internal numbers are besting the public polling. I can’t confirm that, but it wouldn’t be shocking given Trump’s durable lead in the state.
SEE: A Doggedly Determined Dave McCormick Closes the Gap Against Bob Casey
Which brings me to the second thing this tells us: Casey believes Trump is going to win the state.
That’s why he’s running like a chicken with its head cut off away from Kamala Harris. While the above clip is a snippet from the ad, the entire thing doesn’t mention the Democratic Party nominee once. Remember, we are talking about a must-win swing state. If Casey can’t ally himself with Harris in Pennsylvania at this late stage, then that says everything about who is leading the race there.
To be sure, McCormick is still the underdog. Beating an incumbent senator is nearly impossible outside of a state having dramatic built-in advantages for one party within a state (i.e. West Virginia and Montana). But Casey is sweating, and that’s all you can ask for with less than three weeks before the polls close and counting begins.
Casey is your typical left-wing Democrat who suddenly becomes a “moderate” every time he’s up for re-election. Voters should see through his facade. If he gets back into office, he’ll continue to be an almost exclusively party-line voter. Pennsylvania deserves a senator who will actually do what he promises, and McCormick is the guy.
