The last votes are being tallied in the U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania, which has remained too close to call. But if the narrow margins hold, ballot counters may have to start from square one.
Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick have been locked in a tight race since polls closed Tuesday night. McCormick has the lead with 49% of the vote as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, but Casey follows right behind with 48.5%. Those totals come with 98% of the vote counted.
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An automatic recount is triggered in Pennsylvania if any candidate that appeared on the ballot in each state election district loses by 0.5% or less. Al Schmidt, the secretary of the commonwealth, must order a recount by 5 p.m. of the second Thursday following the election — in this case, Nov. 14 — per state law.
The results are then due by noon on the Tuesday after the third Wednesday following the election. That would be Nov. 26.
Candidates affected by the recount may observe the process, in person or through an attorney. The defeated candidate may also halt the recount by written request, if he or she does not wish to proceed with a second tally.
According to the latest numbers, that prerogative would fall to Casey. His campaign did not immediately clarify if the senator would support or refuse a recount.
In 2022, McCormick was in a tight race against Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, with Oz winning by less that 1,000 votes. But instead of having a recount, McCormick decided to concede to Oz, who eventually lost to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
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