Senate Democrats take aim at McCormick ahead of possible Casey challenge

Former Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R) is gearing up for another campaign in Pennsylvania, eyeing a challenge of Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Democrats are already teeing off on the former hedge fund chief executive.

A pamphlet put together by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats, tries to paint McCormick as a “chameleon,” appealing to both establishment Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and cozying up to former President Trump. The pamphlet was first reported by Politico.

McCormick, who lost in the 2022 GOP Senate primary to eventual general election loser Mehmet Oz, suffered the wrath of Trump during his campaign last year after the former president backed Oz. But the DSCC piece cites a number of articles that tie McCormick to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

The document includes a New York Times article that explains how McCormick “is trying to reinvent himself as a Trump stalwart.” It also cites a Bloomberg report that says McCormick’s “former coworkers say he’s a ‘chameleon who’ll be whatever he needs to be.’”

But it also includes remarks from Trump himself, saying McCormick is “not MAGA. David is totally controlled by Mitch McConnell.”

McCormick proponents have pitched the former hedge fund manager as a consensus builder and someone who can build coalitions across a party that is increasingly divided between allegiance to Trump and a search for alternative leadership.

DSCC’s painting of McCormick as a dual-faced candidate comes as he eyes a challenge of Casey, who has yet to officially announce plans for a reelection bid. Casey announced a prostate cancer diagnosis, but he said his prognosis is “excellent.” 

The campaign trail has already heated up, with presidential hopefuls hitting the road on both the Republican and Democratic sides. The showdown for Senate in Pennsylvania will be one of the most-watched contests in the country, as Democrats in the chamber try to hold onto a slim majority while competing on an election cycle map that tilts the odds against their favor. Pennsylvania is one of a number of chances for Republicans to pick up a vulnerable Democratic seat, along with Montana, West Virginia and Ohio.