Senator Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s longest-serving U.S. Senator, is running for reelection — news that will surely be met by fanfare from fellow Democrats ahead of what is expected to be a tough 2024 Presidential election in a critical battleground state. 

“Folks, I’m running for reelection,” Casey said. “There’s still more work to do to cut through the gridlock, stand up to powerful special interests and make the lives of hardworking Pennsylvanians easier. The map is back, and I’m not done yet.” 

“I’m running for re-election because with so much on the line for Pennsylvania’s working families, I want to keep delivering results for Pennsylvania,” he added.

Officially vying for a fourth term, Casey’s announcement is a plus for Democrats who were able to add to their numbers in the Senate in the recent 2022 midterm elections, but face an uphill battle in 2024 to defend seats in several swing states — including Pennsylvania — but also red states like Montana, West Virginia, and Ohio. 

In total, Democrats will be defending 23 seats, including two held by independents who caucus with Democrats, in stark comparison to just 10 seats that Republicans have to worry about. 

Casey had been wary about news regarding his future, especially after a less-than-ideal start to the new year. 

In January, the longtime lawmaker announced that he would be undergoing surgery to treat what he revealed to be prostate cancer. Nearly two months after surgery, he announced that he’d made a full recovery and returned to the Senate soon after. 

A popular figure in Pennsylvania, Casey is the son of former two-term serving Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr., and like his father, was also the state Auditor General from 1997 to 2005 before being term limited. 

He then served as the state treasurer from 2005 to 2007, before running and winning one of two spots in the U.S. Senate, a seat he’s held since 2007. He’s run statewide seven times in total, with only one loss during that run. 

Despite never having been a part of a contested Senate race — his last victory in the 2018 race was won by 13% — Casey is up for the challenge of trying to garner all the support possible in all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties. 

“I’ve been spending years on the road and going to all of our 67 counties and delivering for the people of our state and communities in our state,” Casey said. “And that’s the kind of approach I’ll take to the campaign: We’re going to go everywhere and try to earn every vote.”

The longtime lawmaker will also have the support of fellow Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman and Governor Josh Shapiro. 

“We flipped PA last year — and Bob was a huge part of that. Now, let’s return the favor. Give him a follow + kick in a donation to his campaign!” Fetterman wrote in a tweet following Casey’s announcement.

According to his most recent FEC filings, Casey had over $3 million in his campaign coffers. 

“My friend and our senior Senator @Bob_Casey has stood up for Pennsylvania’s working families his entire career — and he’s not stopping now. He has our backs. Now, let’s have his. Help keep him fighting for us in the US Senate,” Shapiro tweeted. 

In his reelection announcement, the Senator cited bills produced by a Democratic-controlled Congress such as increased spending on infrastructure on airports for instance, to revive a domestic semiconductor industry, lowering drug costs for Medicare recipients, taking on China, and breaking through the “gridlock” in Washington. 

Prior to the official announcement on Monday morning, Casey was working behind the scenes putting together what would be his campaign team. 

According to reporting from POLITICO on March 5, Casey was in discussions about who would serve as his national finance director and picked Tiernan Donohue to be his campaign manager. Donohue is an alum of Arizona Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly’s campaign and served as campaign manager for Pennsylvania Democrat Val Arkoosh’s unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 2022.

In the same reporting, he also hired a “finance council,” which held its first meeting last Wednesday, and he has scheduled fundraisers, according to two Democrats familiar with Casey’s situation. 

As he’s not expected to face strong opposition in the primary, it should be an easy run to the general election, but Republicans are looking to avenge their losses in the 2022 midterm election, possibly making former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick their main challenger against Casey.