Sen. Bob Casey, GOP challenger Dave McCormick now set for debates in Harrisburg and Philly
WASHINGTON — The debate schedule in Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate race continues to take shape, with both Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick now on board for at least a pair of debates next month in Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
A third debate in Pittsburgh remains in the works, with the candidates having accepted separate invitations from different networks in the Steel City.
The McCormick campaign announced Monday that the former hedge fund CEO and Army veteran had agreed to face off with the three-term Democratic incumbent in a Philadelphia debate on Oct. 15 on 6ABC.
The news comes less than a week after both candidates agreed to an Oct. 3 debate in Harrisburg. The announcement also comes a day before Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are set to debate in Philadelphia.
With the Keystone State sure to help determine which party controls both the White House and the Senate, Pennsylvanians have grown accustomed to a surge of rallies and other visits from the candidates and their surrogates, along with seemingly countless ads.
The Harrisburg senate debate will be hosted by ABC27 and moderated by the network's anchor and State Capitol reporter, Dennis Owens. KDKA will air the Harrisburg debate in Pittsburgh.
As for a potential Pittsburgh-hosted event, Casey has agreed to an Oct. 9 debate with KDKA, while McCormick has signed on to a WPXI debate with an unspecified date, moderated by Lisa Sylvester.
“Senator Casey looks forward to debating at the same stations that have held Senate debates in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for over a decade,” the Casey campaign said last week. “He is proud to continue Pennsylvania's long history of political debates and looks forward to making his case for reelection and engaging his opponent on the issues that matter to people of the commonwealth.”
Both candidates in April tentatively agreed to three debates, including one in Pittsburgh.
“Since day one of our campaign, I’ve promised Pennsylvanians total transparency on where I stand on the most important issues facing our commonwealth: the price of food, fuel and housing is hurting families, Kamala Harris and Bob Casey’s open borders have enabled 4,000 Pennsylvanians to die of fentanyl overdose, and their war on energy is crushing Pennsylvania jobs,” McCormick said in a recent statement.
