PITTSBURGH — Late Wednesday evening, the Pennsylvania Department of State said an automatic recount was triggered in the state’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Republican Dave McCormick, who is the apparent senator-elect. This was one day after McCormick spent his first day at the U.S. Capitol in an orientation meeting with colleagues and setting up his Senate office, nearly a week after the Associated Press called the race in his favor.

Outgoing Senate majority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) initially said McCormick would not be invited to the long-held tradition of orienting incoming U.S. senators after Election Day. Later, Schumer relented when he faced an onslaught of criticisms from sitting senators of both parties for his unprecedented exclusion of McCormick.