Tragically, Bob Casey’s career will be remembered as that of just another Democrat partisan politician so addicted to power and blindly loyal to his party that he destroyed his “moderate, bipartisan” veil. He’s been a candidate since 1994. He knows that he can not win. Yet, he continues to allow himself to serve as a pawn for his party.

Conservatives must realize what’s really happening in this protracted count and the likely “re-count.” It’s not about Bob Casey. Both Casey and the folks pulling the strings know Dave McCormick won. 

This is actually a battle about the future — making it easier to ballot-harvest and to “bend the rules” or cheat in elections yet to come.

The 2026 campaign is already playing out in front of us in Pennsylvania. Sadly, today’s Democratic Party thrives on chaos. Like plants need carbon dioxide (ahem), the Left needs a crisis and cause, and they are always working 24/7/365 for the next election.

Democratic activists — who happen to be attorneys — have parachuted into courthouses across our state in Doylestown, Norristown, State College, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. They’re making arguments that they know are in direct opposition to the law — and they don’t care. Their goal is to try to change the laws for 2026 and 2028, to allow even more illicit ballot-harvesting.

Worse, several county commissioners in Democrat-controlled counties are still not done counting. This is happening almost two weeks after the election has been called by national and local media. Commissioners are still “reviewing” ballots — and, all too often, counting illegal ballots. Now that the state Supreme Court has weighed in for a third time, the charade is closer to it’s end. These invalid ballots will be rightfully rejected. Yet, even as the Supreme Court was slapping them down, Team Casey filed more appeals — trying to force commissioners to count unsigned mail-in ballots, despite the courts having said no in the past. Very soon, the inevitable “recount” will begin. 

Democratic activist-lawyers’ argument that invalid ballots should be counted — so obviously flawed and illegal — that anyone with decency would be ashamed. Ballots cast by people who aren’t even registered to vote and ballots cast by voters in counties where they don’t live. Even worse, these left-wing lawyers — who are risking their ability to practice law in Pennsylvania — are arguing that mail-in ballots without signatures, without dates, and with the wrong dates be counted.

The “missing signature” and “date” issues have been litigated in recent years. This October, even the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that state law is clear: mail-in ballots must have a valid signature and a valid date. Otherwise, the ballot does not count.

Nonetheless, Democratic activists are pressuring county commissioners and are now pressuring judges to ignore the courts and the clearly written laws of Pennsylvania. They’re working to get any change, any “loosening” of the law. Not to advance Casey’s election; he’s lost and everyone involved knows it. It’s to help Democrat ballot-harvesters in 2026.

More shocking than partisan, hack-attorneys making these arguments is that some Democratic county commissioners are counting these ballots, rejecting their own attorneys’ counsel. The most infamous is the Chair of the Bucks County Commissioners, Diane Marseglia. During a live broadcast hearing, she admitted that the courts had ruled that the ballots are invalid, but she was going to defy the law and vote to approve them anyway. 

This is brazen election interference — and election denial — and lawbreaking all at once. Thankfully, the courts have ruled to disallow the illicit ballots in the official count.

Don’t be fooled when “regular guy” Senator John Fetterman says: what’s the big deal, “it’s only 155 ballots” in Bucks County. (He’s admitting that Casey lost. It’s as if he’s saying, “C’mon, it’s just a few ballots. Who cares?”) Fetterman knows this is about 2026.

Their party spent the days after the election chastising voters who voted Republican as misinformed or bigots, racists and misogynists — even black, brown and Jewish voters who felt abandoned by the Democrats. Democratic leaders decided that they’d rather try to change the rules for counting votes than to change their tone or do some soul-searching on why their base shrunk.

The hired-gun lawyers and operatives — who are pressuring commissioners and judges to change the law by whim, rather than the state legislature — are at the front the line of election-deniers.

And Bob Casey is letting them advance this chaos, in his name.

Governor Josh “I want to be President” Shapiro sat silently until after the court ruled, when he remembered to be on the side of the rule of law. He wants to lead the nation, yet is apprehensive to speak out and truly lead his own party in his own state.

The tragic reality is the Democrats’ election interference extends beyond trying to count illegal ballots. (Remember, leftists practice transference: whatever sin they accuse conservatives of doing is what they, themselves, are doing.)

Notably, days after this election, the Democratic governors of California and Illinois both announced plans to undermine President-elect Trump’s policies — to abuse their power to attempt to block Trump’s authority over residents of their states. Left-wing activists have gone so far as to float the idea of California seceding from the union. 

Illinois’s Pritzker heard Newsom and California’s activists and said “hold my beer.” He’s promised to protect illegal immigrants living in Illinois — to prevent their deportation. (This is “sanctuary cities” on steroids.)  

Governors announcing — publicly, preemptively — that they intend to block the laws and executive orders of the incoming President is its own dangerous version of election interference and election denial. They’re attempting to block the will of the voters and our duly elected President.

This isn’t the typical — even expected — “loyal opposition,” of giving speeches against or voting against policies. This is true election interference — abusing your office to block the will of the voters and purposefully to obstruct the law.

Officials ignoring election law. Voting to approve illegal ballots — in public, on camera. 

Governors pledging to block the policies of the incoming President. Blocking illegal immigrants from lawful deportation.

The winners from the 2024 election haven’t even taken office. But many Democratic politicians have already started the 2026 election. Their first shots are to double down on the arrogance and policies that were rejected across the nation. Their tools are lawyers, lawbreaking and pressure politics. Is the GOP paying attention? If voters are, then 2026 will be the real earthquake. 

Guy Ciarrocchi writes for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania. A former Republican nominee for Congress, Guy served as Chief of Staff to federal and state officials. Follow Guy at @PaSuburbsGuy.

This article has been edited to correct a typo.