Pennsylvania's Casey and McCormick face off in acrimonious first debate

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and his GOP opponent Dave McCormick met for an acrimonious debate Thursday in Harrisburg, trading barbs over foreign and domestic policy, with each trying to cast the other as a “weak” candidate who blindly follows his party’s leadership.

Casey homed in on McCormick’s career as a hedge fund manager and his residency status, and McCormick repeatedly claimed Casey had been ineffective as Pennsylvania’s senior senator.

The first question was on the Middle East, and Iran’s launching of missiles at Israel after Israel killed Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon. Moderator Dennis Owens asked the candidates if they were willing to put American troops on the ground in the current conflict.

Casey noted that the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel was approaching. “We’ve got to continue to support Israel’s efforts to take on and defeat Hamas and also to take on other threats in the region, including the threat posed by Hezbollah and the Iranians,” Casey said. As far as putting troops on the ground, Casey said “not unless we have a declaration of war and a debate in the United States Senate and the House.”

Owens asked if there was a “red line” Israel could cross that would cause it to lose Casey’s support.

“No, Dennis, look, I’ve been a strong supporter of Israel every year I’ve been in the United States Senate, over and over again. That’s why pro Israel organizations across the country support me.”

McCormick said the U.S. needs to stand with Israel. “I wouldn’t send troops in on the ground right now,” he said. “But what President Biden has done, and I haven’t heard Senator Casey speak out on this, is he’s started to put red lines in place on what Israel should and should not do. We need to stand steadfast with Israel. Senator Casey has been a weak voice.”

He added that “as long as Israel is fighting for its life” there was not a red line it could cross to lose his support. “We’ve got to have strength, moral courage to stand up against Iran and antisemites at home.”

Casey took issue with the moral courage comment, pointing to McCormick’s investment in Rumble, a social media video platform popular on the right wing which has been criticized for hosting antisemitism, and amplifying conspiracy theories. “With his own money, he invested millions of dollars in a website that platformed hate,” Casey said.

On the issue of immigration, McCormick said he “absolutely” agreed with former President Donald Trump’s proposal to conduct mass deportations if he wins another term as president, “we need to deport first and foremost those convicted criminals” coming across the U.S. southern border, McCormick said.

Owens pressed McCormick to explain how such deportations would be carried out but McCormick did not provide specifics. “It’s going to be an enormous logistical challenge, but we have to do it to break the incentives of people coming across our border.”

Casey has made “greedflation,” the term he uses for corporate price-gouging that drives up prices for consumers, a centerpiece of his campaign, speaking about it at the Democratic National Convention and releasing several reports on its impact. He has introduced legislation to create a federal ban on excessive price increases and authorize the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce it. Owens pointed out that the reforms Casey has proposed have been criticized as government price controls that could hurt businesses

“I’ll argue with your premise. It’s not price controls, it’s investigating companies that are engaged in price gouging,” Casey said. McCormick, Casey said, would not support price gouging legislation “because he wants to support their corporate tax breaks.”

McCormick said he would be in favor of extending tax cuts enacted during Trump’s term as president that are due to expire soon. Owens said the tax cuts have been criticized as mostly benefiting corporations and the wealthy.

“They are middle class tax cuts,” McCormick said. “I would also, in that extension, want to add additional dollars for a child tax credit. I’d want to add money for fertility tax credit, IVF tax credit, which I proposed. But yes, I would extend those tax cuts. And the corporate tax cuts were necessary to ensure that America continues to be competitive. Bob Casey doesn’t understand how the economy works. That’s why he’s trying to do all this economic voodoo stuff with price controls.”

Owens pointed out that the Congressional Budget Office projected that tax cuts would add trillions of dollars more to the national debt. McCormick blamed the Biden administration and Democrats for inflation and policies that he said added to the national debt. “The first thing you need to do is roll back all these ridiculous subsidies for EVs, buses and charging stations and billions that have gone into solar,” he said.

Casey said that what McCormick was proposing would put “Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block.”

Owens next turned to asking the candidates about abortion. “Mr. McCormick, during our 2022 primary debate in this very studio, you said you believe in only rare exceptions for abortion when the life of a mother is in danger. However, you now say you support additional exceptions. Tonight, can you clarify where exactly you stand on those exceptions?”

McCormick called it an “extremely polarizing issue,” and that he believes states should decide on abortion law. “I support the three exceptions. I would not favor an abortion ban of any kind, [or] legislation to support a national abortion ban.”

Owens noted that Casey was first elected to the Senate as a “pro-life Democrat,” but has since voted to protect abortion rights.

“Dennis, in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned a 49 year right, when it overturned Roe v Wade, I think everyone had to make a decision, including senators,” Casey said. “I made a decision to support the Women’s Health Protection Act. I don’t support Republican efforts to ban abortion across the country.” He noted that McCormick said at the time Roe was overturned that the decision made him “very, very happy.”

Casey added that he supports Roe, which “would allow reasonable restrictions.”

McCormick said Casey had changed his position. “I’m not going to take any preaching from Senator Casey on my position on abortion … it’s something that we need to get past and let people in all these states decide what’s best for them.”

Owens also brought up the issue of McCormick’s residency, which Casey repeatedly cited as evidence that McCormick was not being truthful. He pointed to an August 2023 Associated Press article which Casey said “proved that he was living in Connecticut.”

McCormick replied that he was a “seventh generation Pennsyvlanian,” who grew up in Bloomsburg and was born in Washington County. “I’ve spent the majority of my life in Pennsylvania. I did run a firm in Connecticut. When I said I was living in Pennsylvania, I was,” he said. “So the fact that he got some reporter at The Associated Press to validate his lies or reinforce his lies does not mean it’s true.”

There were few areas where the candidates agreed:

On U.S. Steel, both candidates agreed that the company’s proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel should not be allowed to proceed

On fracking, both candidates said they support natural gas fracking and would be opposed to a fracking ban.

On tariffs, both agreed with using them in a targeted strategic fashion to help protect American workers and companies.

Casey and McCormick will face off in another debate in Philadelphia on Oct. 15.

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