Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who will cede control of the upper chamber in January, has not yet invited Pennsylvania Senator-elect David McCormick to the Senate orientation this coming week, according to Fox News, drawing criticism from numerous Republican senators and others.
On November 7, the Associated Press called Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race for Republican challenger David McCormick, unseating three-term Democratic incumbent Bob Casey. The New York Times, CNN, and NBC have not yet called the race for McCormick as of Sunday afternoon.
Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, cautioned against the AP’s call, writing in a social media post on November 7, “We still have tens of thousands of votes to be counted across the Commonwealth. @AP_Politics shouldn’t make a call in this race until every Pennsylvanian has their vote counted.”
As of Sunday, the state’s election results site reports that McCormick has received 49 percent of the vote to Casey’s 48.4 percent. The state is still counting a small percentage of votes. McCormick’s lead is around 40,000 votes as of Sunday afternoon.
If the race is within less or equal to 0.5 percent, it would trigger an automatic recount under state law, but candidates can also request a recount with no requirement for a specific margin.
Casey has not yet conceded the race, writing in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday evening, “I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election. It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”
Earlier today, he reiterated his stance, posting to the social media platform, “I’m committed to ensuring that Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard.”
McCormick is a businessman, veteran, and politician who previously served as chief executive officer of Bridgewater Associates, a large hedge fund, and Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs during the George W. Bush administration. President-elect Donald Trump endorsed him back in April.
Around noon on Sunday, GOP Florida Senator Marco Rubio, posted on X, “Schumer is not allowing @DaveMcCormickPA to participate in Senate orientation this week because Casey refuses to concede the race. What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?”
When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a Schumer spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday, “With over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in Pennsylvania, the race has not been decided. As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted.”
Newsweek has reached out to Schumer’s press team and McCormick’s communications director for comment and confirmation via email on Sunday afternoon.
Senate orientation is for newly elected members who are set to take office in January. The Democrats have held a narrow majority in the Senate, making Schumer the top Senator in the chamber. However, Tuesday’s election shifted the power of the Senate, with the GOP to hold at least 52 seats next session, as of Sunday.
Rubio’s X post has received 2 million views, with many Republican senators resharing it and expressing similar sentiment.
Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri echoed similar sentiments, writing in an X post, “Chuck is an ‘election denier’ and this is an ‘assault on our democracy.’ Am I doing this right @chuckschumer? Stop being a baby & take the L.”
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas wrote on X, “Senator-elect Dave McCormick won. Chuck Schumer’s shameful, election-denying decision to block McCormick from Senate orientation shows Schumer’s true character.”
The election-denying comments largely refer to the 2020 election when Joe Biden won the White House and then-President Trump refused to accept the results, citing unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
Trump won the 2024 election, and Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have acknowledged the results, confirming his victory.
Meanwhile, new Senator-elect Tim Sheehy of Montana, who beat out Senator Jon Tester, called the situation “bulls***” and wrote that “Schumer is a lame duck. @DaveMcCormickPA should show up anyway. We’ve got a country to save!”
Minority Whip Senator John Thune of South Dakota, called Schumer’s move “beyond unacceptable.”
Outside of senators, Alyssa Farah Griffin, co-host of The View and former White House director of strategic communications under Trump, wrote that not allowing McCormick to attend is a “bad look for Schumer.”
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