Casey, McCormick spar over PA provisional ballots in Senate race

🔴 AP declared Dave McCormick the winner of PA's U.S. Senate race

🔴 30,000 votes separate the candidates

🔴 100,000 provisional, overseas and military votes have yet to be counted

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is not going without a fight as he and Republican challenger Dave McCormick exchange lawsuits over provisional ballots.

With a 30,000 vote lead Thursday afternoon, The Associated Press called the race Thursday afternoon for Republican McCormick. The AP in its analysis did not believe the remaining 91,000 votes were not from areas supporting Casey.

Casey feels differently and issued a statement Thursday night that all the ballots have not yet been counted.

"Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves," Casey wrote on his Facebook page.

Secretary of State Al Schmidt on Thursday urged patience in the vote-counting process.

"We estimate there are at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated, including provisional, military, overseas, and Election Day votes. We urge patience as election workers continue to do this important work, especially in contests where the margins are very close," Schmidt wrote on his X account.

McCormick: Casey has 'no path to victory'

Lawyers for McCormick said in a lawsuit Friday they would make "global challenges to large groups of provisional ballots" after the city of Philadelphia said it planned to adjudicate between 15,000 and 20,000 ballots over issues such as signatures not matching and provisional ballot envelopes that lack a secrecy envelope.

In a statement Friday the Casey campaign also urged patience.

“The number of provisional ballots expected from areas that favor Senator Casey, like Philadelphia and its suburbs, is further proof that this race is too close to be called," Casey campaign spokesman Maddy McDaniel said in a statement.

"As the McCormick campaign admitted in their own lawsuit this morning, the counting of these ballots could have an ‘impact on the outcome of the election.’ With more than 100,000 ballots still left to count, we will continue to make sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard.”

McCormick on Friday morning claimed victory and said "there is no path to Senator Casey overcoming my lead," according to Fox News coverge of his victory speech in Pittsburgh.

As of Friday afternoon Casey and McCormick are tied at 48% of the vote with 36,400 votes separating them, according to the state's official election results. The two are also tied in Bucks County.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom