Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) positioned himself in a new ad as an ‘independent’ who has defied Democrats and sided at times with Trump.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) released a new campaign ad on Oct. 18, casting himself as a political independent who’s defied his party and even sided with former President Donald Trump.
He’s one of a few swing-state Democrats who have referenced the former president and Republican 2024 nominee in a positive light.
Casey’s new ad, titled “Bliss,” presents a married couple, with the wife identifying as a Republican and the husband identifying as a Democrat.
“Our marriage: pure bliss,” the wife said. “But on politics, we just don’t agree. Except for Bob Casey. He’s independent.”
The wife said Casey is “leading the effort to stop corporate greedflation and price gouging.”
“Casey bucked Biden to protect fracking and he sided with Trump to end NAFTA and put tariffs on China to stop them from cheating,” she said.
The ad ended with the husband and wife standing beside Casey.
“In this house, we agree,” the wife said. “It’s Bob Casey who’s doing right by Pennsylvania.”
The ad was launched in the final stretch before the Nov. 5 election, as Casey seeks a fourth six-year Senate term. The RealClearPolitics polling average showed a close race for the Senate seat, with Casey leading Republican challenger Dave McCormick by about two percentage points.
Trump won Pennsylvania in the 2016 election, but Joe Biden took the state in 2020. The RealClearPolitics polling average on Oct. 20 showed a tight presidential race, with Trump leading Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris by less than one percentage point.
Other Democrat incumbents in swing states have also cast themselves as moderates capable of working with Trump during campaign ads this election cycle.
In March, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) released an ad noting she “got President Trump to sign her Made in America bill.”
Wisconsin, like Pennsylvania, is expected to be a swing state this election cycle. The RealClearPolitics polling average on Oct. 20 placed Trump in a virtual tie with Harris. The same RealClearPolitics polling average in 2020 put Biden at a 6.7-point lead against Trump in Wisconsin in the final round of polls before Election Day. In the end, Biden took the state by less than a full percentage point.
Last month, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) released an ad focusing on self-described lifelong Republicans who pledged to support him in Montana’s Senate election this year. One self-described Republican voter in the ad said he plans to cast a split ticket vote, supporting Trump in the presidential race but Tester in the Senate race.
The Trump campaign team rebuffed Casey for his latest campaign ad, noting he twice voted to impeach Trump but is “now desperately trying to embrace President Trump.” The Trump team, in an Oct. 18 social media post, described Casey as a “leftist” who “votes with Kamala 100% of the time.”
Casey voted against passing Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and against all three of Trump’s nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.