Casey Defeats Barletta In PA U.S. Senate Race

Democratic incumbent Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey, thought vulnerable in his reelection bid mere months ago, roared to a landslide victory Tuesday over U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, his Republican challenger.

With 95 percent of state districts reporting, Casey had 2,491,243 votes to Barletta's 1,905,744. That's a 55-to-42 percent advantage.

Earlier this year, Politico identified Casey as one of the 10 most vulnerable Senate Democrats in the midterm election. But Casey appeared nearly invincible against Barletta.

Despite the endorsement of President Donald Trump, Barletta failed to gain any traction in the polls or in fundraising. So it would have be one of the nation’s most significant upsets if Barletta wins.

Casey on Tuesday voted in his native Scranton. Barletta voted in Hazelton.

Barletta, 62, knocked off an established incumbent in the past. He was the mayor of Hazleton for 11 years before defeating Democrat Paul Kanjorski for the 11th Congressional District seat in 2011 - a seat Kanjorski held for a quarter of a century.

Still, the Real Clear Politics average of various polls had Casey with a 14-point lead over Barletta as voting began Tuesday. The most recent poll, released last week by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, showed Casey with a 15-point lead although 14 percent of respondents remained undecided.

The large lead likely was due in part to the Casey name having been a staple in Pennsylvania politics for decades. Casey's father, Bob Casey Sr., was governor. His son was state auditor general from 1997 to 2005 and served as state treasurer for two years after that before unseating conservative Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

In terms of money, Casey also enjoyed a large edge. As of Oct. 17, Casey had just under $4.5 million on hand, while Barletta had just over $1 million.

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The candidates couldn’t have been more divergent in their political views. Barletta, an early supporter of Trump during his presidential candidacy, portrayed himself as a potentially valuable ally of the president in the Senate. Casey painted himself as an ardent foe of the president and corporate interests and a friend of organized labor.

The campaign’s only real controversy occurred when Casey aired a commercial criticizing Barletta for his congressional vote last year in the unsuccessful Republican effort to jettison the Affordable Care Act. Narrated by a constituent with two daughters with cancer, the woman says, "Thank God we had health insurance. But if Lou Barletta has his way, kids like mine could be denied care they need."

Barletta immediately disclosed that his 18-month-old twin grandson currently receives chemotherapy. "(Casey) should take the commercial down and he should be ashamed of himself," he said. Casey did, but only in Barletta’s home TV market for Scranton.

Photos via Getty Images.

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