McCormick ties Casey to Philadelphia crime surge and Soros-funded district attorney

Republican Senate candidate David McCormick linked opponent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) to a mass looting in Philadelphia and liberal District Attorney Larry Krasner, who was backed by billionaire megadonor George Soros.

On Tuesday, at least 20 people were arrested in the city following a mass looting event targeting a Foot Locker, an Apple Store, and a Lululemon. Two firearms were recovered by police, according to acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford. The incident comes as property crimes and vandalism rise in Philadelphia.

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“Soft on crime Democrats like Bob Casey and Philly DA Larry Krasner are enabling crime to run rampant in our cities. Philadelphia business owners and residents deserve to feel safe in their communities. It’s time for our leaders to step it up,” McCormick wrote on social media, linking to a story about the looting.

Last week, McCormick announced his bid for Casey’s Senate seat. The former hedge fund CEO ran for Pennsylvania’s other Senate seat but was beaten in the 2022 Republican primary by Mehmet Oz, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Oz lost to now-Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) despite controversy over a stroke Fetterman sustained during his campaign.

McCormick was encouraged by several sitting senators to take on Casey. After announcing his bid, he rolled out several endorsements, including those from each congressional Republican in Pennsylvania. He further received endorsements from 23 Pennsylvania state representatives and senators.

In a comment to the Washington Examiner, Casey’s campaign manager, Tiernan Donohue, said, “Bob Casey has fought for programs that have delivered hundreds of millions to support law enforcement in Pennsylvania and has worked alongside law enforcement across the state to keep Pennsylvanians safe from crime, while David McCormick was in Connecticut getting rich by selling out Pennsylvanians.”

As Pennsylvania is a critical battleground state, the Democratic senator is bracing for a significant challenge from McCormick. As his opponent tries to tie him to Krasner and Soros, Casey is seeking to distance himself from Democratic scandals nationally. Casey called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign on Tuesday, becoming one of the first few Democratic senators to do so. He also plans to give campaign donations from Menendez’s PAC to charity.

Krasner said he deprioritized prosecuting various crimes and that he considers some of the perpetrators to be victims themselves. Under his watch, however, several crimes have seen increases. Krasner blamed these rises on the police. “Obviously, we know the struggles that PPD is having with staffing. It’s happening all over the country with police,” he said earlier this year while discussing retail theft.

“Police can respond. They have adequate staffing. They can respond. But we all know the truth, which is they’re trying to put out fires as much as possible. And this ain’t the biggest fire,” he added.

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Last year, the Republican-led Pennsylvania state House voted to impeach Krasner over a failure to prosecute various crimes and controversial bail policies as crime increases in Philadelphia. However, a two-thirds majority vote to remove him from office is unlikely.

The 2024 Pennsylvania Senate race is considered competitive by the Cook Political Report, which rated the seat “lean Democratic.”