Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick isn’t planning on endorsing former President Donald Trump in the primary, but will back the eventual Republican nominee in the general election, he told the Daily Caller News Foundation Friday.
McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, previously ran for the Republican Senate nomination in the 2022 midterms, losing narrowly to the Trump-backed candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, who now-Democratic Sen. John Fetterman ended up beating. During a press call about his recent trip to Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, McCormick told the DCNF that he won’t get involved in the Republican presidential primary, but would work with Trump if he’s the nominee to secure wins in the battleground state and White House.
“I’m running my race to be the senator from Pennsylvania,” McCormick told the DCNF when asked if he’s planning on endorsing Trump. “What I’ve said publicly is that I’ll endorse our nominee, whoever that is. I don’t plan on participating in or with any endorsement in the presidential primary. And if it’s President Trump, I’ll work with him, or whoever it is, to try to make sure that we win the presidency, Republicans take back the White House and that we win this critical seat in Pennsylvania and that I’m able to represent the great people of Pennsylvania.”
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, but lost the state to President Joe Biden last cycle. The former president, who has a 52-point lead on the GOP primary, is currently leading Biden in the swing state by 1 point in the RealClearPolitics average. (RELATED: Top GOP Recruit Launches Campaign To Challenge Swing-State Dem Senator In 2024)
BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, NJ – NOVEMBER 20: (L to R) President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with David McCormick, president of the management committee at Bridgewater Associates, following to their meeting at Trump International Golf Club. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) recruited McCormick, along with several other GOP candidates in West Virginia, Michigan, Nevada and Montana. NRSC Chairman Steve Daines focused on recruiting “America First candidates who can appeal to our pro-Trump base and independent voters.”
McCormick — the only Republican vying to oust Democratic Sen. Bob Casey — believes the Senate majority largely hinges on his race, arguing that in the battleground state, “the stakes could not be higher.”
“We have to mobilize Americans. 80% of Americans and 80% of Pennsylvanians feel like the country is headed in the wrong direction, and it’s a great opportunity to show contrast on America’s strength and role in the world,” McCormick told the DCNF. “Bob Casey has really been a rubber stamp for Joe Biden 98% of the time, and 17 years in office hasn’t been a consequential senator in what’s arguably the most consequential state in the country.”
Casey, who has held the seat since 2007, votes in line with Biden’s policies 98.5% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight’s analysis. The senator has supported Biden’s massive spending legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan, which have added trillions to the nation’s debt.
The seat is characterized by The Cook Political Report as in the “Lean D” column alongside other contentious races in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. Polling generally shows Casey is leading McCormick anywhere from 6 to 15 points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s survey compilation.
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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