In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally, Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, proposed a halt in attack ads in his contest against Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).
McCormick took to X, stating that he agrees with President Biden and proposes to Casey that both candidates suspend their negative advertising. “This is a time to come together as Americans to recognize that what makes our country and its people exceptional transcends party. Let’s take some time to put aside the negativity,” he wrote.
This move comes after McCormick himself wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about his experiences at the shooting, detailing how he was mere moments away from addressing the crowd alongside Trump. McCormick emphasized the need to prevent the country’s free society from devolving into a “banana republic” where political differences are resolved through violence.
He called for less divisive rhetoric, acknowledging that extreme rhetoric has been present on both the left and right. “It’s time to stop the unending ratchet of political polemic by extremists on either side who believe their opponents’ extinction is the only option,” McCormick wrote. “This is a political sickness, and it’s spreading. It isn’t manifest only in one party, and it can’t be fixed by one party alone.”
President Joe Biden suspended most campaign activities following the shooting, and Trump largely ceased attacks on the president amid calls for unity. However, McCormick stressed the importance of constructive action, saying that the engine of the republic should be put “in a constructive gear.”
“We have consequential differences; we should debate them robustly. The left and right have vastly different visions, and both fear the consequences of losing. So let’s have that conflict – but let’s commit to keep it inside the context of elections, civil debate, and policymaking,” McCormick wrote.
Casey has consistently held a lead in the polls, but a recent poll showed the senator leading McCormick by just a single point. However, McCormick’s campaign proposal has yet to elicit a response from Casey’s team.
