Bob Casey concedes Pennsylvania Senate race to Dave McCormick

Incumbent Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday conceded in the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania to Republican challenger Dave McCormick. 

In an email from his campaign, Casey, a Democrat, said he called McCormick to congratulate him on his win in the race. 

“As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last,” the email said in part. 

McCormick followed up with a statement thanking Casey. 

“Senator Bob Casey dedicated his career to bettering our commonwealth. Dina and I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Senator Casey, Terese, and their family for their decades of service, hard work, and personal sacrifice,” he said in an email from his campaign.

A recount for the race is currently ongoing because the unofficial vote tally was within a 0.5% margin, which triggers an automatic recount. Results of the recount are expected to be shared by the state on Wednesday.

This is the fourth time the state has conducted a recount in an election since 2004. None of those times did the recount change the outcome.

McCormick gave a victory speech earlier this month after the Associated Press projected him winning the race. CBS News has not projected a winner in the race. He addressed a lawsuit his campaign filed challenging provisional ballots in Philadelphia that are still being counted. The state Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that provisional ballots are a valid way to correct mistakes on mail-in ballots that have errors on them such as no signature or no secrecy envelope.