On Tuesday, Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles, not long after the White House warned that Iran would be "imminently" launching such an attack. Five weeks from Election Day, a foreign policy crisis looks to potentially affect not only the presidential election, but key Senate races as well.
The Biden-Harris administration has been slammed as a failure, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris' diplomatic warnings of "don't" from last year unsurprisingly failed. The administration has also been lifting sanctions on Iran, even and including after Iran's proxies had attacked Israel last year.
Seems relevant… pic.twitter.com/HweahVeFcI
— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) October 1, 2024
Democrats have been supporting Iran before the current failing administration, however. In 2015, during the Obama-Biden administration, fellow Democrats were all too happy to champion such a deal. This includes Pennsylvania's Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., one of the many vulnerable Democratic incumbents running for reelection this cycle.
Dave McCormick, Casey's Republican opponent, brought up Casey's vote from 2015 to send billions to Iran. "The agreement enhances our national security," the senator claimed multiple times, also speaking of a supposed "deterrent effect" and how such a deal "enhances the security of Israel and the region." Casey even expressed that "the region, including Israel, will be more secure with the agreement as opposed to without it."
In 2018, when asked if he thought the deal should be "scrapped," Casey offered that "I think you could have voted against the Iran agreement originally and still be in favor of keeping it in place."
Right now, Iran is launching an attack on Israel.
— McCormick War Room (@TeamMcCormickPA) October 1, 2024
Here's Bob Casey — THE DECIDING VOTE — on sending billions to Iran in 2015:
"The agreement enhances our national security and also enhances the security of Israel and the region."
pic.twitter.com/w990F11djL
Bob Casey was the deciding vote for the 2015 Iran Deal, unlocking billions for Tehran to build up its military arsenal and underwrite terrorist proxies.
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) October 1, 2024
Casey said the deal would make Israel “secure”.
Now, Israel is under siege once again. pic.twitter.com/fkvGWHu4Zl
The McCormick War Room also posted about Casey's remarks in April, not long after Iran had attacked Israel for the first time in what had been an unprecedented move.
McCormick had also put out another post reminding voters of more ways in which Casey has been "appeasing Iran and its proxies," including actions more recent related to the current Biden-Harris administration.
Bob Casey has spent nearly two decades in the Senate appeasing Iran & its proxies.
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) October 1, 2024
🚩 Was the deciding vote for the Iran Deal, unlocking billions for Iran to fuel global terrorism
🚩 Refused to condemn Biden for sending billions to Iran
🚩 Supports US taxpayers funding UNRWA
Forecasters give Casey only a slight advantage with a "Lean" or "Tilt Democratic" rating. According to RealClearPolling, Casey leads McCormick by +3.7, while former and potentially future President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in the Keystone State by +0.1.
Pennsylvania is one of the most critical swing states, if not the most critical. It carries the most electoral votes of any of the swing states, at 19. The presidential election, as well as which party controls the Senate, could very well come down to Pennsylvania.