Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters . HARRISBURG — By many measures, the economy is thriving.
Unemployment is low, the labor market is strong, and inflation — after surging to a 40-year high in 2022 — has fallen significantly . But you wouldn’t know it from listening to the major party candidates in the race for Pennsylvania’s U.S.
Senate seat, who have channeled voters’ persistent malaise over widespread price increases. Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, who has been in office since 2007, says the greed of “ big conglomerates ” is to blame for high prices for household essentials. Republican challenger Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO who lost the GOP primary in 2022, said in a debate earlier this month that the economy was “weak,” with “skyrocketing prices that are putting enormous pressure on most families.
” In a Spotlight PA poll , nearly 70% of respondents identified jobs, wages and the economy as among their top issues in this election. Casey’s campaign did not respond to specific questions from Spotlight PA about the senator's positions, but said in a statement that the Democrat “is leading the fight to hold big corporations accountable for ripping off working people and working to put more money in Pennsylvanians’ pockets.” McCormick’s campaig.