Sen. Bob Casey gets a Pa. campaign boost from ‘Jersey jealous’ Cory Booker

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey got some backup Thursday in his tough reelection battle from his Senate colleague Corey Booker, a New Jersey Democrat who crossed the river to boost Casey at a North Philadelphia event aimed at engaging Black voters.

Although Casey has had a substantial lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick in recent polls, the incumbent Democrat said he expects the race to tighten as Election Day approaches.

“Our race is going to be very, very close. It’ll be probably a one-point race,” said Casey, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate. “And we just got to make sure people know the differences between us.”

» READ MORE: Why investments in a Chinese fentanyl company have become an issue in Pennsylvania’s Senate race

The Pennsylvania race could determine control of the Senate next year. Democrats and independents who caucus with them currently hold a one-seat majority.

Booker said that he was “Jersey jealous” of Pennsylvania’s purple electorate, which has once again made the Keystone State the center of the political universe in a presidential year.

“I’m a Jersey boy,” Booker said. “I live across the river. But I’m Jersey jealous of you all here in Pennsylvania because we don’t have a competitive Senate race right now and we’re definitely not the most important state — the swingiest of all states — like you all are.”

Casey and Booker spoke to a crowd of about 60 people at the Prince of Peace Baptist Church in Strawberry Mansion and were introduced by Bishop J. Louis Felton, pastor of Mount Airy Church of God in Christ and president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity.

The senator will look for strong support from Philadelphia, where a plurality of residents are Black, to hold on to his seat in November.

“The people of this city have been very good to me over and over again,” Casey said.

Casey said electing McCormick would allow the GOP to take control of the Senate and implement policies that would undermine “voting rights, workers rights, women’s rights.”

“Rights have never been more at stake in an election,” Casey said.

McCormick spokesperson Nate Sizemore said that it was Casey who posed a threat because he would be a “rubber stamp” for the agenda of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

“Their radical liberal views — from open borders to defunding the police, stripping Americans of their private health insurance, and destroying energy jobs by banning fracking — are fundamentally out of step with Pennsylvanians’ needs,” Sizemore said in a statement.

Harris supported Medicare for All and a ban on fracking as a presidential candidate in 2019. The fracking issue is politically tricky in Pennsylvania and Harris’ campaign has said in recent weeks that she does not support a ban.

Asked Thursday about whether a Harris presidency could threaten Pennsylvania jobs in the natural gas industry, Casey pushed back on the notion.

“It’s clear to me that she has a position that would ensure that we don’t have fracking bans like some have proposed in Congress, which I’ve always opposed and will continue to oppose,” Casey said.

Casey, soft-spoken and mild-mannered, and Booker, a former college football player and charismatic orator, have very different styles. Booker said Casey’s amiability is needed in the Senate.

“Nobody has a better reputation in the Senate for being a bipartisan person,” said Booker, whose speech was heavy on religion. “Blessed are the peacemakers — and he is one of those folk.”

Casey discussed his time as a teacher and basketball coach at the Gesu School in North Philadelphia and said he has a record of helping residents of the city, such as by voting for President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, which included funding for the Philadelphia school district, and helping to secure money to reopen shuttered fire stations in the city.

“When I say I’ve delivered, I think I can prove it, and I think you should have to do that when you’re a candidate for reelection,” Casey said.