Democratic Sen. Bob Casey tries to learn from the 2016 election

He has never served in Congress under a Republican control that includes majorities in the House, Senate and the presidency.

He still smarts from Hillary Clinton losing Pennsylvania on Election Day, a loss that marks the first time a Democratic presidential nominee has lost the Keystone State since 1988.

That sentiment extends to Katie McGinty’s coming up short against fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican.

“What more can be said about that election that hasn’t already been said,” he said.

But Casey said he isn’t looking in the rearview mirror and instead is focused on the future: What can be learned from the results of the election and what he needs to do to be more in touch with his constituents.

In less than two years, Casey will be one of 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election in states President-elect Trump carried. While the sitting president’s party tends to lose seats in the first midterm election cycle, Casey said he is taking no chances.

Since Election Day, he has kept a breathless schedule in his home state, visiting 11 counties — not including four stops in Philadelphia — mostly in rural areas that were once Democratic strongholds that all went for Trump in November.

The Washington Examiner caught up with the namesake and son of a popular Pennsylvania governor in Cambria County before Congress convened. It is worth noting that despite Casey’s steady, decidedly nonpolitical personality, he has handily won four statewide elections since his first campaign in 1996. His only loss was to fellow Democrat Ed Rendell in a bruising Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2002.

Washington Examiner: Let’s talk about your reflections on the election this year.

Casey: It was, I think, for a lot of people, a bit of a shock. Look, we knew it would be close, but I certainly did not anticipate the result. But I am going to look forward, we have a new year coming up, a new administration and a new Congress, and we’ve all got to figure out a way to work together.

But what I worry about is that the Senate Republicans will start the year working to repeal Obamacare. I don’t know how it’s going to break down, but I know I will be fighting them on that tooth and nail.

Examiner: Are there any parts of Obamacare you believe need reformed?

Casey: I mean there is no question that, even with the positive parts of it being more than 20 million covered now that weren’t covered before and a whole host of other good points, there are some challenges, like how do you get the cost down and fix some aspects of the bill. I was hoping now that the Republicans would try to come up with a bipartisan approach, instead of just repeal, repeal and repeal.

Examiner: In fairness, the Democrats shut out the Republicans in 2009 when they were crafting the bill. Do you think Republicans will learn from that or do you think they will shut out your party the way they were shut out in 2009?

Casey: Well, I guess we’ll see what happens. But if the main thing they are going to try to do is repeal it, I don’t know what that means to insurance markets. Even if you repeal it, and delay the implementation by two years or three years, what is the impact? So even if they are saying they are going to have a longer transition period between the repeal and the replace, just the act of repeal itself may have some adverse consequences.

I worry in particular about Medicaid, what will they try to do to that, not just in the context of Obamacare repeal, but in the context of the House Republican budget they have passed before but have been unable to enact.

That budget would devastate Medicaid, and I have some real concerns about that. You know, half the babies born in this country are paid for by Medicaid.

Examiner: What are some of the things you think you might be able to work on with this new Congress and this new administration?

Casey: Well, there is no question on infrastructure if President-elect Trump makes it a priority as president that I think it will have Democrats wanting to work with him. What I hope doesn’t happen, though, and I don’t know if it will happen, but I worry that it might happen, is that he would delegate the details to the House Republicans or Senate Republicans. Then all of a sudden we would not have an infrastructure bill, it would be something completely different.

But if we can get something that is truly an infrastructure bill, something that is a substantial investment, in building and rebuilding, then I think he gets a lot of bipartisan support.

I don’t know exactly what he would propose or what he has in mind, we will have to wait and see.

Examiner: Any New Year’s resolutions?

Casey: Part of my resolution is to continue to focus on the basics and what I’m supposed to be doing every day in the Senate. That is to fight to protect people’s jobs and to fight for new jobs. One of the biggest issues for us will be, in terms of a legislative priority, to get the coal miners’ pension and healthcare bill done. And jobs, I cannot stress this enough, we need to be creating more jobs.

Also, I am going to try to eat less cookies, definitely less cookies.

Examiner: What are some of the lessons you have personally learned from this election?

Casey: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that the people want to be heard. And that means anyone representing them has to not just listen but go and see them when they are trying to make a point. Not everyone can get on a bus every day and go to Washington to make a point, so we have to do a better job of getting out there to listen to them. So I definitely will be going to more places, I will definitely be listening to more people, and that means also visiting the areas where I don’t get a lot of votes, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be going out there and listening to all of my constituents.”