PITTSBURGH — Sen. Bob Casey has said he is contemplating a White House run in 2020 — a move that could put him close to the top tier of the swelling ranks of Democrats vying to oust President Trump
“I do think Pennsylvania is a crucial state for the next president to win and Democrats should nominate someone who can win our commonwealth without a doubt. I’ve won the state by an average of 13 points over three Senate elections so I have an obligation to consider it,” the Scanton Democrat said in an interview with the Examiner.
He added that “my top priority is currently my third term in the United States Senate and working for the people of Pennsylvania,” but stressed: “I am not ruling anything out.”
Casey’s most powerful claim to the Democratic nomination would be his proven ability to win the keystone state, which Trump flipped into the Republican column in 2016 after it had voted for every Democratic presidential nominee since 1992. If he missed the top slot at the expense of a Democrat with greater star power, a strong showing would make him an attractive vice presidential nominee.
His stance on abortion is less hard-line that that of most Democrats — though his voting record is mostly in line with abortion rights advocates. He is a Catholic, describes himself as “pro-life,” and voted for a bill that would have banned performing abortions after 20 weeks. His father Bob Casey Sr., Pennsylvania governor from 1987 to 1995, was one of the best known anti-abortion Democrats in the country.
Casey was re-elected to the Senate this month after trouncing his rival GOP congressman Lou Barletta by 13 points – Trump’s margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016 was 0.7 points.
Supporters of Casey point out he won the state with a wider margin than presidents Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, John Kerry in 2004, Al Gore in 2000, and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996.
Casey also outperformed every red-state Democrat senate candidate who ran for their state’s U.S. Senate seat in the 2018 midterm elections including his Ohio neighbor Sherrod Brown, who is also weighing his own presidential aspirations.
The list of presidential hopefuls for 2020 on the Democratic side is growing, but unlike Casey and Brown, most of them are from blue states. Among the most talked about potential candidates are fellow senators: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Underlining Casey’s seriousness, his re-election campaign manager M.E. Smith issued a detailed statement outlining the argument for him in 2020 based on his 2018 showing. In particular, Smith highlighted how Casey improved on the performance of Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee, across the state.
“Perhaps most damning for Pennsylvania Republicans and President Trump is the fact that Senator Casey outperformed Clinton in every single county,” Smith wrote.
“Further, he outperformed Sec. Clinton by more than 5% in 66 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, and by more than 10% in 20 counties. In 43 counties, Casey exceeded Clinton’s raw vote totals despite nearly one million fewer votes being cast statewide in 2018. By media market, Senator Casey exceeded her raw vote total in Erie and Johnstown and came within a few thousand votes of her totals in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton.”
