After Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., conceded his Senate race Thursday against Republican challenger Dave McCormick, fellow Democrat John Fetterman became the senior senator from Pennsylvania.
Still, Fetterman, just short of two years into his first six-year term, wasn't in the mood to celebrate.
"This hit me," Fetterman said in a statement, according to The Hill. "It's been a supreme honor to have Bob Casey as a colleague, friend and mentor. His legacy is better than Pennsylvania."
Casey's bid for a fourth term against McCormick, a businessman endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, went to a recount after the vote totals were within a margin of one-half of 1 percentage point.
Decision Desk HQ called the race for McCormick on Nov. 14. McCormick finished with 48.8% of the vote to Casey's 48.6%, and the difference was 16,350 votes of more than 6.7 million cast.
Casey, whose father Bob Casey Sr. was a popular two-term governor of Pennsylvania, said he called McCormick on Thursday "to congratulate him on his election to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate," according to The Hill. Fetterman praised his colleague's work in Congress.
"Unassuming while delivering for PA for nearly two decades, he fought for working Pennsylvanians and union, rural communities, seniors and people with disabilities — all of us," Fetterman said, according to The Hill. "Bob Casey was, is, and always will be Pennsylvania's best senator."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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