Senator Bob Casey knows President Joe Biden needs all the support he can get as he deals with the political storm that has followed his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump.
Casey said on the Fourth of July in Bristol that he’s still backing Biden, a fellow Scranton native, for the good of the country.
“I support him. The next couple of days will be a good time to remind people what’s at stake…what’s at stake for the country,” Casey said.
The longtime Senator made three stops in Bucks and Montgomery counties on Independence Day, attending parades in Skippack and Glenside as well as this meeting at the Naked Brewing Bristol Taproom on Mill Street, where he hosted members of the Veterans for Casey Coalition.
Casey has been a Senator for 18 years, but he isn’t taking his experience for granted as he faces Republican David McCormick for his seat in the November general election. He’s agreed to three debates with McCormick this fall, something he said most incumbents would not do.
“I think people have to make some fundamental decisions about where they want the country to go. I think when they do that, our side will prevail,” Casey said. “It’s going to be a long, difficult campaign. I’ve got a tough race, the president’s got a tough race. A lot of difficult races.”
Casey said he didn’t want to speculate about any other scenarios, should Biden decide to drop out before the Democratic National Convention in August.
“I support the president,” said Casey, who was set to campaign alongside Biden three days later.
McCormick was also in Bucks County Thursday. According to his schedule, he planned to “celebrate Pennsylvania and America’s exceptionalism” in both the Southampton Days 4th of July Parade and the Lower Southampton 4th of July Parade, before he, like Casey, planned to head for Glenside.
McCormick, who also appeared at a rally in Doylestown in June, penned a July 4 op-ed for the right-leaning Washington Reporter news and commentary website. In it, he lauded veterans, the continuing importance of military service, and the critical role of veteran leaders in the public sector at a time in which “the public is questioning the value of military service.”
“Each of us has a role to play in restoring a spirit of service in America,” McCormick wrote. “While families across Pennsylvania and America spend the coming days celebrating our nation’s founding, barbequing, and watching fireworks, I call upon all of us to do our part in renewing America and inspiring the next generation.”
Casey said he and his wife, Terese, came to Bristol because he wanted to honor the state’s veterans, including the 30,000 who live in Bucks County.
Joining them at the brewery taproom was Ashley Ehasz, the Bucks County Democrat running for Congress against incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick. Ehasz didn’t want to comment on Biden’s political situation but came to the Bristol event to honor veterans and to support small businesses like the taproom.
“I’m keeping my focus on Brian Fitzpatrick,” she said.
Ehasz is a West Point graduate and veteran, as is Casey’s opponent McCormick.
Several veterans came to the event to thank Casey for his support for the PACT Act, which assists veterans facing medical issues caused by exposure to burn pits and toxic chemicals during their military service.
“I voted for Bob Casey since 2007,” said John Whalen, of Yardley, an Army veteran who appreciated Casey’s support. He added that he thought Biden was a “great guy” who has “done a lot for our country, definitely.”
On other issues, Casey said he doesn’t want the sale of U.S. Steel, based in Pittsburgh, to the Japanese firm, Nippon Steel, to be completed.
“We should have an American steel company that will continue to have a foundation in Pennsylvania…We want to preserve those union jobs,” he said, rather than see them move to a nonunion state like Arkansas.
And he said the United States needed to continue its support for Ukraine and Israel, while also assisting the Palestinians in Gaza who are not involved with Hamas, which he said was “still a threat to the people of Israel.”
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