A Democratic attorney, who previously made a loud spectacle of criticizing President-elect Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the 2020 election results, is now at the center of a controversial attempt to overturn Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the NY Post reports.
According to insiders within Dave McCormick’s campaign, this effort is part of a desperate bid to reverse the outcome in the race, even though McCormick has already been declared the winner by the Associated Press.
Marc Elias, a seasoned Democratic election lawyer known for his involvement in controversial political tactics, is pushing to initiate a recount in the Pennsylvania Senate race. This move comes despite McCormick’s victory being declared on Thursday by the Associated Press, with even some of the state’s most liberal news outlets backing that call.
While the race has been declared over, Democratic Senator Bob Casey has not yet conceded the result. Over the weekend, Casey sent out a fundraising email urging his supporters to continue pushing for a recount and to ensure that “every last vote in this PA Senate race is counted.”
Pennsylvania law stipulates that an automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is smaller than 0.5%. With 99% of the ballots counted, McCormick is ahead of Casey by over 41,000 votes — a margin that exceeds the recount threshold.
Even if a recount takes place, it seems improbable that Casey would be able to uncover enough additional votes to alter the results. However, the prolonged legal battle could result in a hefty cost to state taxpayers, potentially running into the millions.
The most recent statewide recount, which was conducted in 2022 following McCormick’s primary challenge against Dr. Mehmet Oz, reportedly cost Pennsylvania around $1 million, according to KDKA News.
“Election Day has past [sic], but the fight for democracy continues. Here is some of what my firm has been up to: Thursday: Intervened against rightwing lawsuit in Pennsylvania,” Elias wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
“The Pennsylvania Senate race is not over,” Elias warned in a separate X post on Thursday. He also referenced a statement from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office, which indicated that there were “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated.”
McCormick’s campaign has filed two lawsuits aimed at blocking the counting of provisional ballots in Philadelphia, alleging “errors or inconsistencies in the adjudication process,” as reported by The Hill.
Elias has a long history of working on behalf of various Democratic causes, which have drawn significant criticism. In 2022, he was hired by the Black Lives Matter movement to address concerns over their financial dealings, and in 2016, he played a central role in commissioning the research that led to the now-infamous Steele dossier, which sparked the lengthy Russia collusion investigation into Donald Trump.
Elias has also been involved in several efforts to challenge voter ID laws in various states, projects that were heavily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros, according to the Washington Post.
Critics have pointed out the hypocrisy in Elias’s actions, highlighting his outspoken condemnation of Trump’s legal challenges to recounts in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Elias described those efforts as “dangerous for democracy.”
“Elias is part of Kamala Harris’ campaign’s legal apparatus,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a nonprofit organization focused on government accountability. “One of the big lies of the left is that they support democracy, but what they support is using the law to obtain and retain power for themselves and that’s what Marc Elias is about.”
Elizabeth Gregory, a spokesperson for McCormick, blasted Elias, calling him a “grifter” who was engaging in “frivolous legal challenges with zero merit.”
“McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, and that’s why the AP called the race. Senator-Elect McCormick is honored to have been elected by Pennsylvanians all over the commonwealth, and is moving forward to represent them,” Gregory said.
{Matzav.com}