McCormick moves closer to Senate run in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Republican David McCormick moved closer to a Senate bid Monday, filing paperwork to form an exploratory committee to look into a run.

The paperwork filed to the Internal Revenue Service, confirmed to The Hill by two sources, lays the groundwork for what could be morphed into a Senate run in Pennsylvania’s wide open GOP primary field. It will be followed up by the launch of a statewide television ad on Tuesday.

The move is the surest sign yet that McCormick, the CEO of Bridgewater Associates and a former Treasury Department official, is edging toward entering a contest that could decide which party controls the upper chamber. Rumors have swirled for weeks about a campaign, and allies have hyped up McCormick’s qualifications to the media. 

The primary field previously appeared to be locked up by Sean Parnell, a combat veteran and former congressional candidate who was running with former President Trump’s endorsement. However, the field burst open after he dropped out of the race following allegations of domestic abuse by his estranged wife and a lost custody battle.

Businessman Jeff Bartos and former Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands have stayed in the race, and surgeon and television celebrity Mehmet Oz jumped into the race last month.

Democrats have seized on the unsteady nature of the nominating contest, though they too are grappling with a crowded primary.

“This GOP primary will expose the flaws in all of their candidates, drain their resources and ensure whomever emerges from this intraparty Republican brawl will be deeply out of step with the Pennsylvania voters that decide the general election,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Jack Doyle. 

McCormick is largely untested, and while he was born and raised in Pennsylvania, he will likely face questions over having lived in Connecticut in recent years. However, he is expected to invest significant amounts of his vast, personal wealth in the race — money that can be used to rebut such criticism.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Rep. Conor Lamb, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Val Arkoosh and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta are running in the Democratic primary.

The race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R) is anticipated to be one of the most competitive and expensive races in the 2022 midterms. Pennsylvania narrowly went for Trump in 2016 before flipping back to President Biden in 2020 and is also hosting a competitive governor’s race in 2022.