Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has invited Senators-elect Dave McCormick, the Republican from Pennsylvania, and Ruben Gallego, the Democrat from Arizona, to the new-senator orientation this week after previously saying they would not be permitted to participate.
“Ruben Gallego and David McCormick have been invited to attend orientation,” a spokesperson for Schumer told Fox News.
Schumer had initially resisted inviting McCormick to the orientation, claiming the Republican had not been declared the winner of his election. This was despite The Associated Press calling the race in his favor over three-term Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey last Thursday.
Gallego also had not received an invitation, but the AP did not call his race against Republican Kari Lake until Monday night. It was the final Senate race to be called, leaving the Republicans with a 53-47 majority.
GOP SENATOR OFFERS TO ‘PERSONALLY ESCORT’ MCCORMICK TO SENATE ORIENTATION AFTER SCHUMER HOLD
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has extended invitations to Dave McCormick and Ruben Gallego to attend the new-senator orientation. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
Gallego will replace Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party two years ago.
Casey still has not conceded in the Pennsylvania race. As of Tuesday morning, McCormick was leading Casey by 35,063 votes, according to the Pennsylvania elections results website.
A Schumer spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that McCormick was not invited because at the time there were still “over 100,000 ballots left to be counted” in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, claiming that the contest “has not been decided.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not initially invite Dave McCormick to Senate orientation despite the race being called by AP. (Reuters)
SCHUMER WON’T ALLOW DAVE MCCORMICK AT SENATE ORIENTATION, CITING OUTSTANDING PA BALLOTS
On Monday, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, offered to “personally escort” McCormick into the Capitol to attend the new-senator orientation, and Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., agreed to join him, lambasting Schumer over the exclusion.
Democrat Ruben Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake in the race to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the AP called on Monday night. (Getty Images)
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McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when the AP called the race at 4:09 p.m. Thursday. Though there were an estimated 91,000 votes still outstanding at that time, the AP asserted that there were not enough in areas supporting Casey for him to make up the difference.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
