(The Center Square) – With 10 days to go until the 2026 election, former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey was back on the campaign trail for fellow Democrats running for office in Bucks County.
The longest serving Democratic U.S. Senator in Pennsylvania’s history said he thinks costs should be the focus of his party’s closing message.
“Gas, groceries, housing, healthcare, and, you could add, utility costs to that as well, and to make it a very clear choice,” Casey said in an interview with The Center Square on Saturday.
“They’ve had their chance with a president, a House, and the Senate in Washington, and if anything, the cost issue got a lot worse,” he continued. “Largely because of the war and tariffs, but they also made it a hell of a lot worse by passing that disgusting bill in 2025, which took away food assistance and will in 2027 begin to take away Medicaid coverage to give very rich people a tax cut.”
Casey, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, called it “gross, obscene, and really destructive” and believes it will “increase people’s costs and has already started to do that.”
The economy and affordability were the marquee issues on voters’ minds in the 2024 election. However, during that cycle, voters largely trusted Republicans on the matter as they won races up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump won the Keystone State’s 19 electoral votes two years ago over Vice President Kamala Harris. Casey, who was seeking his fourth term, narrowly lost to Republican challenger Dave McCormick. Republicans also won all statewide row offices in Pennsylvania and flipped two U.S. House seats.
Since taking back the White House and having majorities in both chambers, Republicans have promoted tax reform legislation signed into law last year that eliminated taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.
Democrats, for their part, have criticized Trump’s tariff policies and the War in Iran for the current issue of costs.
“People know that the decision the president made to attack the Iranian regime was not just a contributor to, but it was directly related to the increase in gasoline prices,” Casey said to The Center Square.
While Republicans had the advantage on affordability in the previous election cycle, polling shows Democrats now have an edge on the issue, which is top of mind for voters in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Following a bruising 2024, Democrats are on the offensive in 2026.
At the top of the ballot in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity in his quest for a second term.
On the campaign trail, the governor has emphasized his goal of winning a trifecta in both the state House and Senate. For Democrats to achieve this, they will likely have to flip seats in Bucks County.
Following his speech on Saturday and rallying support for Bob Harvie’s bid for Congress, Eileen Hartnett Albillar campaign for state Senate, and Kristin Egan’s bid for the state House, Casey lauded the quality of the candidates in the key swing county and the impact a Democratic trifecta would have across the state.
“The state Senate has been in Democratic hands, I think, 15 or 16 months out of the last 45 years,” Casey said to The Center Square. “And in that 15 or 16-month period in ’92, ’93, they passed the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”
“If they didn’t have those months…that would never be part of our healthcare system,” he continued. “So, this majority that Eileen’s going to be a part of will have a chance to do things like that to really lift people up and to invest in families.”
Then-Gov. Bob Casey, the late father of Casey, signed the Children’s Health Insurance Act into law in 1992. It was also the last time the party controlled both chambers and the governor’s mansion.
Democrats running for Pennsylvania’s General Assembly have used talk of a trifecta as a key unifying message to advance large parts of Shapiro’s agenda, which include raising the state’s minimum wage, funding mass transit statewide, and legalizing recreational marijuana.
State Rep. Amen Brown, D-Philadelphia, wants to see Shapiro elected to a second term in office and hopes Democrats win a trifecta, but told The Center Square earlier this month that he has “serious concerns about a supermajority in the state House” and advised in the legislature to “govern from the middle.”
In addition to supporting those candidates in Bucks County, Casey told The Center Square on Saturday that he’s also hit the campaign trail for Brian Wrightson’s bid for state Senate and Paige Cognetti’s campaign for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 8th U.S. House District.
If Cognetti and Harvie are successful in unseating Republican incumbents Rob Bresnahan and Brian Fitzpatrick, respectively, Democrats would likely achieve a majority in the U.S. House.
Despite Trump’s presence in the Oval Office, Casey hopes it will not deter Democrats from pursuing legislation that they have campaigned on.
“Let’s say it’s a majority in the House and the Senate, both, people might say, well, they might pass an increase in the minimum wage, or they might pass a middle class tax cut, or the robust child tax credit that we had in 2021 that helped tens of millions of families, or a child tax care credit,” Casey explained. “They might say that well, passing those, they’ll be vetoed by President Trump.”
“Well, they should pass them anyway,” Casey continued. “Because I think they have to use, I hope, they would use the majority to pass legislation out of the House or Senate or both, and put those issues in front of people to demonstrate that we got the message that costs are important, that families are paying too much for gas and groceries, housing, healthcare, and that we’re ready to help them.”
With Casey back on the campaign trail and Shapiro barnstorming the state in his push for a second term, another Pennsylvania Democrat has noticeably been absent: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
The first-term senator has increasingly found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats on several issues and has touted his collaboration with Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.
McCormick, on the other hand, has endorsed Garrity’s campaign for governor. And, he has hit the trail for Republicans in other states. Recently, McCormick joined U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler in New York for a campaign event and is reportedly scheduled to join Mike Rogers in Michigan for an event as he runs for U.S. Senate.
Casey has not hinted that he’s interested in running for office again, but when asked by The Center Square on Saturday if he would, he said, “I’m never ruling it out,” while adding that he’s keeping his focus on helping candidates win in 2026.
Shapiro, a potential presidential candidate, has also said his focus has remained on his bid for a second term, despite growing chatter about a run for higher office.
Casey told The Center Square that he’s heard that chatter, but said his focus also remained on the 2026 election.
“Call me the day after the election,” Casey said with a smile, about Shapiro’s potential bid for a higher office. “He’d be a great candidate.”
“But let’s wait till we get to the next cycle,” he added.
