SCOTT INSKEEP, HOST:
We've been talking with voters in this swing state of Pennsylvania after the change in Democratic presidential candidates. We are also calling other candidates who are appealing to those same voters, and they include Democratic Senator Bob Casey, who is running for reelection here. His opponent is Republican David McCormick. And Senator Casey joins us by Skype. Senator, good morning.
BOB CASEY: Hey, Steve. Good to be with you. Thank you.
INSKEEP: Good to be with you. Good to be in your state. Thank you. Everybody welcomes me here. I really appreciate it. Glad to be back. But let me just ask, if you had not changed presidential candidates, were you in danger of losing everything in this state?
CASEY: No, I'm going to win this race, Steve, no matter what the circumstances, because I think the contrast between what I've delivered for the people of Pennsylvania - and I've got over 1,650 examples of that in every one of our counties, our 67 counties, and what my opponent stands for - it's a very clear contrast on women's rights, voting rights, workers' rights and supporting efforts to deliver for communities. So I'm going to win this race regardless.
INSKEEP: And you talk about women's rights. Of course, we're talking about abortion rights, which is a big issue for a lot of people. It's a big issue for Vice President Harris and one that Democrats feel will work for her advantage. I also spoke yesterday here with a Democratic activist who felt that Harris' background in law enforcement would help with suburban voters who like public safety, who want security. But there's another issue. Voters link her with Biden's record on the border. If they know one thing about Harris, it's that, that she had something to do with Biden's effort at the border. How can she and how can Democrats defend that record in Pennsylvania?
CASEY: Well, I'll tell you what - I'm a candidate, so I'll tell you what I'm doing.
INSKEEP: Sure.
CASEY: I want to make sure the people of our state know that I've voted repeatedly, 25 times, to invest in border security, and that goes back years. I voted for the two toughest border provisions in American history in 2013 and in 2024. That bipartisan bill that I supported and my opponent opposes aggressively would give the president the authority to shut down the border. And if it were passed months ago when Republicans blocked it after initially supporting it until their presidential candidate told them not to, we would be months into a much better circumstance at the border. So I think that's going to be the difference. But also, I've got an opponent who, when he was a hedge fund manager, actually invested millions in China's largest producer of fentanyl. So that's going to be a big issue in this race because we've lost too many Pennsylvanians to the poison of fentanyl.
INSKEEP: I guess I'll mention at this point we did invite David McCormick on the program. And we haven't gotten that scheduled yet, but the invitation remains open, and we do hope to hear from him. I want to follow up, though, on this question of immigration. How would you rate Harris' work as vice president on immigration?
CASEY: Well, Steve, I'm not going to be a referee or an analyst about rating other candidates. I'm just going to tell you what my record is, contrary to what my opponent has been talking about on the campaign trail. He's been blowing a lot of hot air about immigration and the border, and he's done nothing to make our community safer. In fact, he made - those investments he made as a hedge fund manager made him - helped to make him rich. And one of those investments was in China's largest fentanyl producer. But it's a big issue...
INSKEEP: Understood. Let me just mention, Senator...
CASEY: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...I mean, we may be talking a little bit across purposes here. We're talking about the same campaign. You're telling me about the Senate campaign, which is totally fine to talk about, obviously.
CASEY: Right.
INSKEEP: I'm asking about the vice president, who now seems likely to be your party's presidential candidate. Do you think that she is a good fit for the voters of Pennsylvania?
CASEY: I think she is. And part of that is her background as a prosecutor. She was both a DA as well as an attorney general, and I think she's ready to be commander in chief. And one of the reasons she's ready is because she has a strong law enforcement background.
INSKEEP: And do you think that she is going to - she will face trouble if she is seen as an incumbent? She is the incumbent vice president, part of the administration with a record it has to defend.
CASEY: Well, voters have to sort that out. And, look, I'm running as a United States senator as an incumbent, and part of that is reporting back to the people what you've delivered. And as I said, I've got examples in every single county - red counties, blue counties, everywhere in between - of what I've delivered to the people of our state. And I think the vice president can make a similar argument. But I think in the end, most voters are going to make a determination about the future. And I think if the voters across our state want a ban on abortion, they're going to vote...
INSKEEP: Wow.
CASEY: ...For the other side.
INSKEEP: We've got to stop it there. Senator Bob Casey, Democratic senator of Pennsylvania, thanks so much for the time. Really appreciate it.
CASEY: Thanks very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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