Yikes! Bob Casey Jr. Posts a Terrible Self-Own on Fundraising Appearances

Among the many U.S. Senate races worth watching for November is out of Pennsylvania, where Dave McCormick is looking to replace Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. While McCormick runs a strong campaign, Casey has made a fool of himself, including with a Wednesday morning post about McCormick's fundraising appearances.

"Dave McCormick starts 2024 by having fundraiser with Jan. 6th attendee," read the headline from the leftist outlet, The Keystone Newsroom.

I’ve never held a fundraiser with a January 6th attendee.

My opponent David McCormick can’t say the same.

📰https://t.co/tKqnyg5SGx pic.twitter.com/FmIcgW6n89
— Bob Casey Jr. (@Bob_Casey) January 10, 2024

The headline turned out to be clickbait, suggesting that the senator, or whoever posts for him, didn't even bother reading the article he was seeking to use to his advantage. The "attendee" in question, shared selfies of himself in Washington, D.C. over Facebook in which he also denounced violence.

Such a mention came early on, too, making the Casey campaign's failure to note this part particularly embarrassing.

As the article mentioned:

McCormick is starting the new year by traveling to Johnstown on Wednesday for a fundraiser hosted by someone who was in Washington DC on Jan. 6, 2021, while a second host for Wednesday’s fundraiser was quoted in a local newspaper following the 2020 election stating that they would like to vandalize the home of Biden supporters.
Ross Stewart, a Pennsylvania Republican State Committee member and an advisor for the GT Commonwealth Fund, which is associated with Congressman GT Thompson (R-Pennsylvania), posted selfies of himself outside the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 on Facebook.
“Scenes from today in D.C. (took some time off, and the violence is unacceptable),” Stewart’s caption read.
At one point, Stewart agreed with a friend that the violence witnessed on that day looked like something from a third world country.
It’s unclear if Stewart made it onto the capitol grounds but the photos taken that day placed him on the west side of the building.

Such a post becomes even more embarrassing as, so far, over 100 replies and 13 quoted reposts have chimed in to remind Casey of who he has fundraised with. That includes appearances with Kendall Stephens, a biological man who identifies as a woman. As Madeline covered at the time last month, Stephens was arrested for allegedly raping two minors. Stephens also campaigned for Gov. Josh Shapiro, another top Democrat in the commonwealth.

Meet Kendall Stephens, a prominent trans activist who was just arrested in Philly on charges of r*ping 2 minors.

Kendall campaigned for the Governor of PA (D). Kendall also supported the Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner (D). He’s also friendly with Sen. Bob Casey (D) and calls him… pic.twitter.com/IZ3wcPhVmC
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 19, 2023

But you do appear to attend events with child rapists https://t.co/Mr3inF2tYx pic.twitter.com/2LG6Fyu4Pl
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 10, 2024

This you?

Why yes it is. pic.twitter.com/uA5ah3Mwro
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 10, 2024

But you’re ok with child rapists being at them, shows who you are pal pic.twitter.com/dWLBpsDR7f
— Dr. Catfish Charlie MD JD ™️ Expert Chicken Farmer (@Chuckles152) January 10, 2024

By your logic, you have, since you've had fundraisers with people who were in DC on January 6.
— Milton Friedman Stan Account (@AndIllWhisperNo) January 10, 2024

Dave McCormick does not have a close relationship with a prominent transgender activist who was charged with raping two underage boys.

His opponent, Bob Casey, can’t say the same. https://t.co/cbNuRGqlPI https://t.co/qLKovvnixY pic.twitter.com/93Jdhtkwta
— Mike Berg (@MikeKBerg) January 10, 2024

A short time after Casey shared The Keystone Newsroom article, McCormick's communications director, Elizabeth Gregory, posted screenshots from articles sharing that the campaign raised $5.4 million last quarter, while Casey raised $3.6 million. That's not only more than Casey raised, but also more than Casey has raised in his best quarter, as PennLive.com pointed out.

As PennLive also mentioned:

Casey’s campaign reported last year that the $4 million he raised in the second quarter was the best quarter he ever had, according to the Associated Press, so McCormick’s $5.4 million in contributions would easily surpass that even without his own $1 million[.]
“As I’m going across Pennsylvania and across the country saying, ‘I’m in,’ that’s just a demonstration of being committed to the race both with my heart and my soul and my reputation, and my resources,” McCormick told PennLive during a visit to the Pennsylvania Farm Show on Monday.

McCormick also ran in the crowded Republican primary for the November 2022 election to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). He narrowly lost the nomination to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who had been endorsed by Donald Trump, and Oz lost to now Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). This time, however, the field is much more clear for McCormick, especially after state Sen. Doug Mastriano--who had run against and lost to Shapiro in 2022--endorsed him. McCormick has racked up many more endorsements, including an early one from the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

Forecasters currently consider the race to slightly favor Casey, with the race being regarded as "Lean Democratic," "Tilt Democratic," or, in the case of Sabato's Crystal Ball, "Likely Democratic."