Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was criticized by Republicans on Sunday for not allowing Senator-elect Dave McCormick (R-PA) to attend Senate orientation.

Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) sharply criticized Schumer for refusing to allow McCormick to attend the Senate orientation due to incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) refusing to concede Pennsylvania’s Senate race. The senators noted that it “shows Schumer’s true character.”

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) takes part in a debate at the WPVI-TV studio, on October 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This criticism of Schumer comes as Republican senators have called for Casey to concede the race, as McCormick has maintained a lead over Casey.

“Senator-elect Dave McCormick won,” Cotton wrote in his post. “Chuck Schumer’s shameful, election-denying decision to block McCormick from Senate orientation shows Schumer’s true character.”

“Schumer is not allowing @DaveMcCormickPA to participate in Senate orientation this week because Casey refuses to concede the race,” Rubio wrote in a post on X. “What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?”

“Chuck is an ‘election denier’ and this is an ‘assault on our democracy,'” Schmitt wrote in his post. “Am I doing this right @chuckschumer? Stop being a baby & take the L.”

“As of now, @SenSchumer won’t allow GOP Senator-elect @DaveMcCormickPA to participate in Senate orientation because Bob Casey hasn’t conceded the race,” Mullin wrote in his post. “Pennsylvanians elected new Republican leadership — it’s time to turn the page. Dave will be a fantastic addition to @SenateGOP.”

 

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote in a post that he was “willing to personally escort” McCormick “into the Capitol” so that he could attend Senate orientation. 

On Thursday, the Associated Press issued a call that McCormick had won the race against Casey, flipping the Senate seat. 

The New York Times reported that McCormick received 49.01 percent of the vote, or 3,369,980 votes, while Casey received 48.43 percent of the vote or 3,330,330 votes. 

Despite McCormick maintaining a lead over his opponent and the Associated Press calling the race for McCormick, Casey and his campaign have continued to call for the “democratic process” to “play out and ensure that every vote” is counted, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. 

“I have dedicated my life to making sure Pennsylvanians’ voices are heard, whether on the floor of the Senate or in a free and fair election,” Casey said in a statement. “It has been made clear there are more than 100,000 votes still to be counted. Pennsylvania is where our democratic process was born. We must allow that process to play out and ensure that every vote that is eligible to be counted will be counted. That is what Pennsylvania deserves.”