BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Months after Pennsylvania witnessed its most expensive U.S. Senate race ever, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey is gearing up for a similarly expensive campaign next year.
Casey, D-Pa., raised $4 million in the last quarter, the best period of his 17 years in office, according to the Associated Press. With 2023 halfway through, Casey's campaign officials said he now has more than $6 million in his coffers. The full report of his fundraising has not yet been filed with the Federal Election Commission.
- Sen. Bob Casey's reelection campaign announced he raised $4 million last quarter, the biggest haul of his 17 years in office
- Pennsylvania's last U.S. Senate race was among the costliest in U.S. history. Candidates spent a combined $167.2 million in 2022
- No Republicans have formally entered the race, but former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick is openly mulling a campaign
The Scranton native will need those funds if Pennsylvania's 2024 Senate race mirrors the hotly contested 2022 campaign.
Last year's race saw candidates spend $167.2 million before Democrat John Fetterman prevailed over Republican Mehmet Oz, according to the website OpenSecrets.org. By comparison, that was three times higher than the amount candidates spent in the 2016 race.
Pennsylvania has emerged as a critical swing state in a tightly divided Congress. Democrats hold a single-seat majority in the Senate thanks to three independents that caucus with the party.
Fetterman's victory helped put the party over the top by winning a seat previously held by Republican Pat Toomey, who retired rather than seek reelection. But Fetterman and President Joe Biden have only narrowly carried the state in the past four years, leaving GOP strategists hopeful that Pennsylvania will help them flip the Senate.
To date, no Republican has officially challenged Casey. Former gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano announced he will not seek the office, leaving many observers watching Dave McCormick, the former CEO of one of the world's largest hedge funds. McCormick narrowly lost the GOP primary to Oz last year and has adopted many of the trappings of political candidates, including releasing a book in March.
Democrats apparently view him as Casey's biggest rival, creating a brochure featuring attacks on McCormick by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Like Oz, McCormick is independently wealthy and is capable of loaning millions of dollars to bankroll his campaign if needed.
But Casey should prove difficult to defeat. His name recognition is unmatched in Pennsylvania; he's served as auditor general, treasurer and U.S. senator, and his father served two terms as governor. Casey has won convincingly in nearly all his statewide elections, including a 13-point victory in 2018 over Republican Lou Barletta.
Casey isn't taking anything for granted. Since launching his reelection campaign, he has made multiple trips to the Lehigh Valley, a critical swing region of the state. He's toured Air Products and its research into hydrogen-fuel cars, promoted the bipartisan infrastructure deal by highlighting local projects its funding and called on the federal government to support U.S. businesses like Infinera, a semi-conductor company with a facility in Upper Macungie Township.
