Casey and McCormick have started throwing punches, but they land more softly. While Fetterman and Oz traded personal jabs on social media, McCormick has on several occasions described Casey as a nice guy.

And this year, a presidential contest at the top of the ballot could dim some of the spotlight on the Senate race.

Both candidates will have to navigate the challenge of sharing a ticket with an unpopular presidential candidate in a state where the rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will dominate voters’ focus.

“Their strategies will waver and change until the very end depending on what’s happening at the top of the ticket,” political strategist Mustafa Rashed predicted.

When Casey ousted incumbent Republican Rick Santorum in 2006, he attacked Santorum for voting closely with President George W. Bush, whose popularity had fallen sharply.

“Casey has to face that same argument against him now,” said Republican National Committeeperson Andy Reilly, who worked on Santorum’s campaign.

Casey, a fellow son of Scranton who is closely linked with Biden, will have to find ways to distinguish himself from the president to outrun Biden in more Republican areas.

Democratic strategist J.J. Balaban said Casey would be smart to do a 67-county tour, similar to how Fetterman campaigned before his stroke in 2022.

“There’s a reservoir of goodwill for the Casey family in smaller counties,” Balaban said. “Senator Casey will lose most if not all of the smaller counties, but the goal is to lose by smaller margins, and a personal visit there may be bigger news in those areas than visiting larger, more urbanized counties.”

McCormick will likewise need to outperform Trump in the suburbs, which have become increasingly Democratic in recent years.

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