The recount of Pennsylvania’s Senate race has stirred controversy, drawing criticism from various political factions. Lawsuits and accusations of unsportsmanlike behavior have emerged in response to the unfolding events.
The Associated Press declared Republican Dave McCormick the winner of the race on November 7, marking a significant victory by unseating Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, who was seeking a fourth term.
Defending its call, the AP stated that although the race was close, the remaining uncounted areas lacked sufficient support for Mr. Casey to change the outcome.
As of November 17, Mr. McCormick held a lead of fewer than 20,000 votes, with 99% of the votes tallied. Mr. Casey has yet to concede, pushing the race into a recount process.
Pennsylvania law mandates an automatic recount when the margin between candidates is 0.5% or smaller. Counties must commence the recount by November 20 and conclude by November 26, though the recount is unlikely to alter the final results.
Litigation surrounding the race is already intensifying. Republican groups at both the state and national levels have filed lawsuits seeking to exclude mail-in ballots that lack a return date or feature incorrect dates, as these violate state law.
In September, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled against counting ballots with incorrect or missing dates.
“What’s taking place in these counties is absolute lawlessness,” stated Lawrence Tabas, Chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, in a public statement.
Separately, Mr. McCormick’s campaign sued Bucks County for including 405 ballots that either lacked dates or were dated incorrectly. Despite the court’s prior ruling, Bucks County election officials voted to count those ballots, a decision mirrored in Centre and Montgomery counties.
“I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country, and people violate laws anytime they want,” said Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia. “So for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.”
In a post on X, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt called for caution in handling ballots, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the law. He advised election officials to “segregate any undated and incorrectly dated ballots and challenged ballots” during the recount process to ensure the records remain intact for potential legal review.
“This is a best practice that will ensure that the record is preserved in the event a court ruling affects the status of those ballots,” Schmidt’s post explained.
Mark Davin Harris, the chief strategist for Mr. McCormick’s campaign, expressed confidence on Saturday in the candidate’s victory.
“As has been clear for days, Dave McCormick has won. He is up 17k+ which is more than ALL remaining uncounted ballots even AFTER Montgomery Co included 945 unlawful votes in its final count: 444 contested provisional ballots and 501 undated ballots,” Harris posted on X. “These will be thrown out.”
The Washington Post editorial board criticized Pennsylvania Democrats for choosing to count mail-in ballots deemed invalid by the courts. In an opinion piece titled “Democrats thumb their nose at the rule of law in Pennsylvania,” the board argued that the decision undermines democratic principles and sets a dangerous precedent.
“Democrats would surely protest if a Republican commissioner made the same statement to justify tipping the scales for their party’s Senate nominee — and they would be right,” the op-ed stated. “Elections need rules, established in advance of the voting, and those rules must be applied equally and consistently.”
{Matzav.com}