Pennsylvania Senate Republican candidate David McCormick told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Friday that he has no plans to support former President Donald Trump in the primary, but will ultimately support the Republican candidate in the general election. .

McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, previously ran for the Republican Senate nomination in the 2022 midterm elections, but narrowly lost to Trump-backed candidate Mehmet Oz, now a Democratic senator. John Fetterman ultimately defeated him.During a press conference about his recent trip McCormick, who was dispatched to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamast terrorist attack, told DCNF that he would not be involved in the Republican presidential primary, but that if Trump were the nominee, he would win battleground states and the White House. He said he intends to work together to ensure that.

Asked if he planned to support Trump, McCormick said: “I'm running to be a senator from Pennsylvania.” “What I've said publicly is that I support whoever the candidate is. I have no plans to participate in or endorse the presidential primary. And if If it's President Trump, whether it's him or whoever, we'll work together to make sure that we win the presidency, that the Republican Party takes back the White House, that we win that important seat in Pennsylvania, and that we can do what I do. I intend to do so to represent the great people of Pennsylvania.”

Trump won Pennsylvania against Hillary Clinton in 2016, but lost the state to President Joe Biden last time. Former President with 52 points lead In the Republican primary, RealClearPolitics currently has Biden leading by 1 point in the battleground state. average. (Related: Top Republican hire launches campaign to challenge Democratic senators in key states in 2024)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has recruited McCormick along with several other Republican candidates in West Virginia, Michigan, Nevada and Montana. NRSC Chairman Steve Daines said his focus was on fielding “America First candidates who can appeal to Trump supporters and independents.”

McCormick, the only Republican vying to oust Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, believes the Senate majority hinges primarily on his race, adding that in battleground states “the stakes are high. There is nothing higher than that.”

“We must mobilize Americans. 80% of Americans and 80% of Pennsylvanians feel this country is headed in the wrong direction and contrast America's strength and role in the world.” It's a great opportunity to show that we're here,” McCormick told DCNF. “Bob Casey is actually a rubber stamp for Joe Biden 98% of the time, and his 17-year tenure is perhaps the most important for a senator from the most influential state in the country.'' There wasn't.”

Casey is held He has held the seat since 2007 and has voted in line with Biden's policies 98.5% of the time. according to To the analysis of FiveThirtyEight. The senator has supported Biden's big spending bills, including the Curbing Inflation Act and the American Rescue Plan, which would add trillions of dollars to the nation's debt.

The seat is characteristic He was featured in the Cook Political Report's “Lean D” column, along with other controversial races in Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Polls generally show Casey leading McCormick by 6 to 15 points. according to Go to FiveThirtyEight's survey compilation.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to DCNF's request for comment.

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