Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate David McCormick faced online ridicule after mixing up the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers, both football teams in the state he hopes to represent. McCormick mistakenly attributed the Steelers to Philadelphia before their game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite attending the Eagles tailgate, McCormick tweeted about the Steelers throttling the Raiders, leading to criticism online.
Critics pointed out that Republicans would not face such issues if they nominated candidates who actually lived in Pennsylvania, referencing McCormick’s dual residency in Pittsburgh and Connecticut. Despite owning a home in Pittsburgh, he also maintains a residence in Connecticut as his daughters finish high school. The mistake in identifying a Pennsylvania football team added fuel to the ongoing debate about McCormick’s residency and connections to the state he hopes to serve.
Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman responded to McCormick’s mistake with a gif of McCormick’s opponent in the race, incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey, giving a thumbs up and smiling. The competitive Senate seat in Pennsylvania is crucial for determining which party controls the Senate in the upcoming election. Recent polling shows McCormick within reach of defeating Casey, despite the incumbent’s long tenure in the seat.
In a New York Times/Siena College poll, 48 percent of Pennsylvanian voters supported Casey while 44 percent backed McCormick. Eight percent of respondents were undecided or declined to answer. The race in Pennsylvania remains one of the closest swing state contests, with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump both heavily involved in the campaign. McCormick has been endorsed by Trump and will be looking to leverage his support to secure victory in November.
Casey holds a slim 4-point lead over McCormick, slightly beyond the poll’s margin of error of 3.8 percentage points. With the Senate currently controlled by Democrats holding a narrow majority of 51 seats to the Republicans’ 49, the outcome of the 2024 election could determine control of Congress. The Steelers, despite the confusion in McCormick’s initial tweet, emerged victorious in their game against the Las Vegas Raiders with a score of 32-13.
McCormick’s mix-up of the Eagles and the Steelers highlights the intensity and importance of the Senate race in Pennsylvania. The mistake drew attention to the residency debate surrounding McCormick and added a light-hearted moment to a closely watched campaign. As the election approaches, both candidates will continue to appeal to voters in a state that could tip the balance of power in the Senate.
