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Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks before President Joe Biden at a campaign rally for then-Pennsylvania's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and then-Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Nov. 5, 2022, in Philadelphia.
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Bob Casey just had his best fundraising quarter ever

AP photo / Matt Rourke

Bob Casey just had his best fundraising quarter ever

Plus, Summer Lee and Pa.'s senators debate allowing Israel into a visa waiver program, and Fetterman looks to help owners of mobile homes

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey raised $4 million from April through June as he prepares to run for reelection next year, his largest three-month fundraising haul ever, his campaign said Wednesday.

The announcement was made in advance of the July 15 Federal Election Commission deadline for candidates to disclose their fundraising and spending. The campaign didn’t say how much money Mr. Casey spent during the quarter, how much he had left in the bank or where his donations came from.

Mr. Casey, D-Pa., ratcheted up his fundraising following his April reelection announcement in what is considered one of the most competitive 2024 Senate races.

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Tiernan Donohue, Mr. Casey’s campaign manager, said in a statement that the senator has earned a reputation of being “a tireless champion for our kids, our seniors and Pennsylvania workers.”

President Joe Biden arrives with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and his wife Terese, left, before he speaks at the Arnaud C. Marts Center on the campus of Wilkes University last August in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
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“This impressive fundraising quarter shows Bob Casey is one of the most formidable incumbent senators in the country, with the statewide support to prove it,” she said. 

Almost three-quarters of the contributions were under $50, the campaign said.

Mr. Casey, 64, had about $3.2 million in his campaign account at the end of March.

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Last year, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz spent almost $124 million in their Senate race — and that didn’t include the tens of millions spent by outside groups. 

David McCormick, a wealthy former hedge fund CEO who lost to Dr. Oz in the 2023 GOP primary, is considering running against Mr. Casey. 

A political committee launched by Mr. McCormick — a former George W. Bush administration official — raised more than $1 million between May 2 and June 5. Pennsylvania Rising received dozens of small contributions from across the state and the country. But most of the political action committee’s haul came from a single million-dollar donation by billionaire Jeffrey Yass, the richest person in Pennsylvania and the fourth-largest donor to political campaigns in 2022, according to the research group OpenSecrets.

In other Washington news:

Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, right, during his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate campaign, with his wife Dina Powell. The Republican is considering a second U.S. Senate run in 2024.
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David McCormick's PAC got $1 million from GOP mega donor Jeffrey Yass as he eyes 2024 Senate run in Pa.

Summer Lee, Pa.’s senators debate allowing Israel into visa waiver program

Israel is seeking to be added to the Visa Waiver Program, which would allow Israeli and American citizens to visit each other’s countries for up to 90 days without needing a visa.

Both of Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. senators, Mr. Casey and John Fetterman, joined 63 other senators in writing a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, urging that Israel be accepted by the deadline of Sept. 30. 

While recognizing that “there are still outstanding issues that must be addressed before Israel’s participation in the program can be finalized,” the senators said that adding the country to the waiver program “would significantly increase the potential for both tourism and business travel.”

Those outstanding issues, according to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and other House Democrats, include Israel’s treatment of Arab Americans wishing to visit. They said that Arab Americans, especially those from the Palestinian territories and those who have criticized Israeli policies, do not enjoy the freedom of movement that the program requires.

In 2019, for example, the Israeli government barred U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from traveling to Israel and the West Bank. Both lawmakers, like Ms. Lee, D-Swissvale, have criticized Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.

“When First Amendment protected activities are used as a basis of denial of entry, there can be no equal treatment at Israel’s border,” Ms. Lee, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Omar, and 16 other Democratic lawmakers said in their own letter to Mr. Blinken and Mr. Mayorkas. It is clear Israel’s border policies upon entry and exit fail to meet the standards of reciprocity as required.” 

Fetterman bill would help owners of mobile homes

Mr. Fetterman last month introduced legislation to protect mobile home owners who rent the land upon where their dwelling sits.

“The bottom line is that Pennsylvania needed more good, affordable housing options — including manufactured housing,” Mr. Fetterman said. “But right now, too many people are taking advantage of the system and lining their own pockets.”

The legislation would affect mobile home communities that receive federal financing through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or the Federal Housing Administration. Property owners must tell their tenants that they have received federal support so that renters know they have certain rights.

It would provide a five-day grace period for late payments and notices of at least 60 days for increases in rent or sewer and water charges. And it would allow mobile home owners to sell their properties without having to move them, or to buy full mobile home communities if the owner wants to close or sell the property.

Jonathan D. Salant: jsalant@post-gazette.com, @JDSalant; Benjamin Kail: bkail@post-gazette.com, @BenKail  

First Published: July 5, 2023, 4:38 p.m.
Updated: July 6, 2023, 11:33 a.m.

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Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks before President Joe Biden at a campaign rally for then-Pennsylvania's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and then-Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Nov. 5, 2022, in Philadelphia.  (AP photo / Matt Rourke)
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
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AP photo / Matt Rourke
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