Many attendees had to walk several blocks and park on a side street to find a spot before heading to Jergel’s, where hundreds were on hand to hear both McCormick and the former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley present their case for her candidacy as well as former Donald Trump. Trump’s.

What was interesting was not only how many people were there, but also who they were and where they lived. Allegheny County’s suburbs have trended toward Democrats over the past two statewide election cycles. However, last year, as county and city officials ran on the far left (many of them got their start with the Democratic Socialists of America), those voters shifted significantly more turned toward the Republican candidate for Allegheny County chief executive.

A closer look at the numbers showed Sara Inamorato, a Democrat, narrowly won, but she lost major support among suburban voters and revealed an opportunity for Republican candidates like McCormick to win them over.

Sam, who declined to give his last name, was one of them, dressed in jeans and a sweater and standing next to a sign reading “Serbs for Trump.” Holding a bottle of Yeungling, he said he was already on board for McCormick and was preparing to support Trump on Election Day.

“To me, this is an election about changing the status quo. I have voted for Casey in the past but this is the second time I won’t. Last time I sat out because I had no confidence in the Republican running against him,” he said of former Congressman Lou Barletta.

“As for Trump, I was unhappy with the way he behaved sometimes, but honestly I was doing better financially, and the Democrats just pissed me off with the whole Nazi and fascism thing,” a- he declared. You call him one, you call us all one. They did it too when I voted for Bush.”

McCormick presented his closing message at the rally, which included discussion of issues that resonated with voters across the board. “Obviously you can’t spend so much that you send prices skyrocketing with inflation,” he said. “It’s common sense that if you have the fourth largest natural gas reserves in the world, you should unlock them and have energy dominance.”

McCormick also highlighted the need for stronger immigration enforcement, emphasizing that we also need to balance that with a better immigration system: “We are a nation of immigrants. My wonderful wife is an Egyptian immigrant. We are also a nation of laws. We must have a secure border.

Haley, the former South Carolina governor, stressed the importance of McCormick winning Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat and Trump winning the presidency.

“Dave McCormick can’t win if we don’t elect Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. You may find Trump loud, but what I can tell you is that he understands that we need to fix the economy.”

In his closing argument at the event, and in the home stretch, McCormick said he sees America’s potential as one where the focus is on what unites us. He told the story of serving in the Army with a rural soldier from Alabama, a Hispanic soldier from Puerto Rico and a black soldier from Virginia.

“I don’t remember talking about religion. I don’t remember talking about race. We certainly didn’t talk about politics. Or the kind. All we talked about was protecting each other and taking care of each other while we were deployed,” he said of a common feeling soldiers often reflect on after their service.

Twelve hours later, Casey was in Murrysville, Westmoreland County, at the Murrysville Center for Freedom, a local Democratic club, with fellow Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), carrying an oversized sign adorned with a rainbow -sky and McCormick’s image on it to represent a driver’s license.

Casey, who has served in statewide elected office since 1996 and in the U.S. Senate since 2007, stood by his latest message: Rising prices are the fault of corporate greed, not legislation to which he voted for and which caused inflation.

Calling it “greed” and “shrinkage” and warning that McCormick would take away reproductive rights has been his consistent message throughout this cycle. Democrats insist that both arguments make progress, but there are two caveats: Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks, and the only person who can accept it right away would be Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor who has repeatedly said he won’t do it. do that.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

And greed and shrinking inflation also have a challenge in this state, since 80 percent of the snacks consumed in this country, especially pretzels and chips, are made in Pennsylvania by farmers and food manufacturers. Pennsylvania and delivered by local truckers.

This race is tied. If this is indeed an “election cycle of change,” McCormick has the advantage. If Casey’s constant abortion ads resonate despite the facts, he has the advantage. It’s a game of chance.