Sen. Bob Casey goes after Dave McCormick on Connecticut residency
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The race between Sen. Bob Casey and his Republican challenger, former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick, is expected to be one of the most hotly contested elections in the nation.
Casey's name is synonymous with Pennsylvania, especially Scranton. But it didn't take Casey long to label McCormick a Connecticut Yankee for living outside the state for many years.
"He hasn't told the truth about where he lives," Casey said. "He lives in Connecticut. He hasn't been truthful about that. So, you have an out-of-state candidate who's being supported by out-of-state billionaires."
KDKA-TV's Jon Delano: "Where do you live?"
McCormick: "I live in Pennsylvania. I live in Pittsburgh."
Just before his run for U.S. Senate in 2022, McCormick, who is divorced and remarried, sold his home in Connecticut, bought a home in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill and rented another home in Connecticut.
"My youngest daughter lives with her mother in Connecticut, so I periodically go back to Connecticut to see my daughter. Being a good dad is even more important than being a good senator," McCormick said.
McCormick grew up in Bloomsburg, where his father was president of Bloomsburg University. But he also lived outside the state, working first for the Bush administration and then as president and CEO of Bridgewater Associates, a Connecticut-based multi-billion dollar hedge fund, from 2009 to 2022.
McCormick sees the Connecticut residency issue as a distraction from Casey's record.
"When you have the results that Bob Casey has with inflation, border, crime, the war on oil and gas, the world falling apart, what do you do? Well, you try to make it about something that is unrelated in your opponent," McCormick said.
But Casey says McCormick's long out-of-state residency, coupled with his work for a hedge fund associated with multi-millionaires, demonstrates who he will represent in the Senate.
"He hadn't voted in Pennsylvania in about 16 years. So, I think that's going to be an issue. But I think, ultimately, it's going to be about whose side you are on," Casey said.
Casey sees himself as representing hard-working middle-class Pennsylvanians, while McCormick argues that Casey has failed to deliver any results.
McCormick criticizes Casey for supporting President Biden's infrastructure bill, CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and other bills.
"Bob Casey has been a 98% vote for Joe Biden," McCormick said.
Casey sees himself as a soft-spoken doer who gets things done for this part of Pennsylvania.
"The bridge investment alone is about a quarter of a billion dollars, just for bridges," Casey said. "But there's investments for K-12 education, investments for communities all across the board, whether it was in the infrastructure bill, the American Rescue legislation, or otherwise. So we've been able to get resources to communities to try to lift them up, but we still have work to do, so I want to keep delivering."
The two candidates disagree on other issues as well, like abortion. Casey, who is personally pro-life, supports the Women's Health Protection Act to codify abortion rights nationwide while McCormick opposes abortion with limited exceptions and opposes all federal legislation on the subject.
"Our states should decide," McCormick said. "Pennsylvania should decide as it has. My belief is that we shouldn't have bans. We shouldn't have national legislation."
Casey says McCormick's work at the hedge fund to promote China will be another issue.
"When China cheats, Pennsylvania loses jobs. So he's helped to fuel that rise of China, and I think that's going to be a major issue in the campaign," Casey said.
Delano: "So you're suggesting he's soft on China?"
Casey: "I don't think there's any question about it compared to what I've been doing."
"I've been in business," McCormick said. "Yes, my business did 2% of its business in China. I know what it's like to negotiate against the Chinese in the government and in business. There is no one better equipped to deal with the challenge of China than me."
These are just a few of many issues on which Casey and McCormick disagree. Given the millions both campaigns will spend, expect to hear a lot more in the months ahead.