Democrat Casey concedes to Republican McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — 

Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania conceded his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick connected Thursday, arsenic a statewide recount showed nary signs of closing the gap, and his run suffered repeated blows successful tribunal successful its effort to get perchance favorable ballots counted.

Casey's concession comes much than 2 weeks aft Election Day, arsenic a grindingly dilatory ballot-counting process became a spectacle of hourslong predetermination committee meetings, societal media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that immoderate region officials were openly flouting the law.

Republicans had been claiming that Democrats were trying to bargain McCormick's spot by counting "illegal votes." Casey's run had accused Republicans of trying to artifact capable votes to forestall him from pulling up and winning.

In a statement, Casey said helium had conscionable called McCormick to congratulate him.

"As the archetypal number of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians tin determination guardant with the cognition that their voices were heard, whether their ballot was the archetypal to beryllium counted oregon the last," Casey said.

The Associated Press called the contention for McCormick connected November 7, concluding that not capable ballots remained to beryllium counted successful areas Casey was winning for him to instrumentality the lead.

As of Thursday, McCormick led by astir 16,000 votes retired of astir 7 cardinal ballots counted.

That was good wrong the 0.5% borderline threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount nether Pennsylvania law.

But nary predetermination authoritative expected a recount to alteration much than a mates 100 votes oregon so, and Pennsylvania's highest tribunal dealt Casey a stroke erstwhile it refused entreaties to let counties to number mail-in ballots that lacked a close handwritten day connected the instrumentality envelope.

Republicans volition person a 53-47 bulk adjacent twelvemonth successful the U.S. Senate.