McCormick targets Casey over fentanyl, border in new ad

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R) targeted Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) over fentanyl and the border in a new ad unveiled Tuesday.

The new ad featured Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott, who described how his son died due to a fentanyl overdose in 2020 that he said was nearly four times the lethal dose. He criticized the current border situation as words flashed on the screen that read, “Bob Casey backed Biden’s wide open border policy.”

“We put a lot of trust in our leadership. We’re putting them in a very, very powerful position. We are under an epidemic when we have a border that is just flooded, almost wide open,” Ott said in the ad.

“If I could talk to Sen. Casey, if this happened in your family, wouldn’t you give as much as you could give? Wouldn’t you provide whatever is needed to make sure you gave the safety to try and stop it from coming into your home?” he continued.

The McCormick campaign said that the new ad is a $2.2 million buy across TV and digital and will be airing statewide. There is a 30-second ad that will be aired on TV and a long form ad on digital platforms.

Ott also vouched for McCormick in the new ad.

“I can give anything if I could have my son back today. We need strong leaders like Dave McCormick, who’s going to come in and secure the borders who’s going to push to make sure that the security of this nation is priority,” he added.

McCormick said in a statement he will “start working to stop the scourge of fentanyl from crossing into our country on Day One.”

Casey’s campaign has also hit McCormick over the fentanyl crisis, unveiling an ad last month that said the McCormick “invested millions in China’s biggest fentanyl producer.” The ad included a link to a website, McCormickFentanyl.com, which is paid for by Casey’s campaign and highlights news reporting on McCormick’s investments.

Kate Smart, spokesperson for Casey’s campaign, defended the senator’s record in a statement to The Hill.

“Senator Casey is working hand in hand with law enforcement to stop the flow of fentanyl, and has passed bipartisan legislation to sanction Chinese fentanyl producers. Meanwhile, David McCormick invested millions in China’s largest producer of fentanyl and even opposed a bipartisan border deal that would’ve helped prevent fentanyl from being trafficked across our border,” Smart said.

In a different ad this summer, McCormick highlighted Vice President Harris’s 2019 campaign positions on immigration and other issues as he attacked Casey. 

Harris has spent many days campaigning in the swing state of Pennsylvania since President Biden withdrew from the race in July and endorsed her for the White House. She introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential pick at a rally in Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Senate race is slated to be one of the most closely watched contests in the nation as Casey tries to hold his seat, and Democrats look to maintain the Senate majority. Pennsylvania is also seen as the single most important battleground state in the presidential election, with the path for both Trump and Harris becoming much narrower if they lose the state.

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average of the race, Casey has a 6.1-point lead based on an aggregate of 58 polls.