Bob Casey says he won't retire after losing Pa. Senate race to Dave McCormick

After losing to Republican Senator-elect Dave McCormick in the 2024 Pennsylvania Senate race, Democratic Senator Bob Casey, 64, says he’s not retiring – and not ruling out a return to public office.

“I never say never,” Casey said Monday during what was expected to be his final official visit to Philadelphia as he closes out his third senate term.

“I think every public official and everyone who goes before the voters and asks for their vote has a period of time when they’re in office and a period of time when they’re out – this will be a break from public service, but you never know,” he said.

Casey said in the more immediate period, he needs to get a job.

“I have to have an income – I can’t just retire,” said Casey.

Casey also said he hopes to find something that also taps into his interest in helping children and families.

Casey on Monday visited Cradles to Crayons, an organization that provides clothing and diapers to families. His office says he helped secure $363,000 in federal funding for the organization to expand its diaper bank.

Before his three terms in the U.S. Senate, Casey served as Pennsylvania’s auditor general and state treasurer. He is the son of the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey and previously ran for governor himself, but lost. Asked about a possible run for that office in the future Casey noted that he never got there but “you never know.”

Asked about why voters made a different choice this year, Casey said “we’ll have a better idea over time” with voter file data. He also cited the money spent against him and the effect of now President-elect Donald Trump, who won Pennsylvania.

McCormick beat Casey by a little more than 15,000 votes, according to state election data posted online, but tens of thousands of voters chose a third party candidate over the Democrat or Republican in the race.

Asked if he or his team saw that volume of third party votes coming, Casey said he did not.

The combined votes for the Libertarian and Green Party candidates totaled more than 150,000 – 10 times the margin between Casey and McCormick.