By The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Katie Bernard
The highlight of this year’s Pennsylvania Society event, which is the state’s annual weekend of political elites flocking to Manhattan for upscale cocktail parties and receptions, was definitely Sen.-elect Dave McCormick.
The soon-to-be-sworn-in Republican was surrounded by Republicans who were thrilled that McCormick had defeated three-term U.S. Sen. Bob Casey as he pushed through a full schedule of over a dozen engagements beginning Thursday. Democrats anxious to build a new connection with Pennsylvania’s incoming junior senator welcomed him with almost equal fervor.
He was the room’s most popular guy.
Attendees were celebrating McCormick’s victory at a Friday afternoon reception organized by Coldspark, the Pittsburgh-based GOP consulting firm that managed his campaign. News of the new senator’s arrival spread swiftly from the back of the little Irish pub when he made a brief appearance.
Later that night, McCormick and his wife, Dina, a former official in the Trump administration, were honored with a private party hosted by the lottery company Scientific Games and the legal firm Polsinelli.
Additionally, a throng of well-wishers gathered as soon as McCormick arrived at the Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Center for a reception organized by the lobbying firm Duane Morris. Although McCormick informed reporters that he would not be taking questions that evening, he claimed that his festive weekend was going really well so far.
Casey, in a more contemplative mindset, also spent time in New York as McCormick celebrated.
At the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association’s annual nonpartisan luncheon held at the opulent Metropolitan Club next to Central Park on Saturday morning, both speakers gave speeches. Seated next to one another, the candidates had not talked since Casey called McCormick last month to surrender the narrow contest just days before a statewide recount.
Both Casey and McCormick spoke to The Inquirer after the talks, which were off-the-record and closed to media.
The senator-elect envisioned what Pennsylvania may look like at the end of his first term in prepared remarks released by McCormick’s campaign. He conjectured about a Steelers-Eagles Super Bowl, better schools, more employment, and reduced crime rates.
In an interview, McCormick stated, “We just did a thought experiment of what success would feel like, what would it look like [for Pennsylvania]].” Though I’m only one component, I hope to play a significant role in it.
McCormick promised to be a powerful, bipartisan voice working toward that objective in his remarks to the PMA luncheon, a highly sought-after event.
It’s what we envision for our dear Pennsylvania. According to his prepared remarks, however, “what we do to the people in this room and leaders across Pennsylvania will determine whether we get there or not.”
According to Casey, who spoke to The Inquirer, he cautioned McCormick that although he was accepting a fantastic position, he might not enjoy the hours. However, Casey claimed that he spent a large portion of the address reflecting on his almost three decades of public service and his 18-year Senate tenure.
In 1994, when he was getting ready for his first race for auditor general, he recalled one of his first visits to the PMA luncheon and the Pennsylvania Society. In what would have been one of the elder Casey’s final travels with the Pennsylvania Society, he arrived with his father, the late Governor Bob Casey.
I recall how excited I was at the time. “And now here I am at the other end of it, exactly thirty years later,” he remarked.
Casey stated that it will not be his final Pennsylvania Society, but he is unsure of his future plans at this time. However, he was looking forward to the day when he would not be subject to the demands of being a U.S. senator.
It will simply be a bit simpler. He responded, “I’ll have a little more manageable schedule.” I’ve come up here many times and thought I’d really want to see a play, but I’m not able to do that. I can now.
This story was written by Gillian McGoldrick, a staff writer.
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