Several Pennsylvania officials released statements Saturday regarding the media’s projection of the election outcome.
In a press release, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory, adding “It’s now time to unite and heal our nation so we can build back better. Coming together as one nation, we can defeat the virus, rebuild our economy for workers and families and provide a brighter future for our children.”
Conversely, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., noted that the media announcement of the election’s outcome is just a projection, adding that “a final outcome will be reached when the election process concludes, which is after all legal votes have been counted, litigation is resolved and any recounts are completed.”
Nine Congressmen, including Glenn Thompson, also released a letter Saturday regarding their collective concerns over the Commonwealth’s handling of the general election, which was sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar.
“From last minute guidance provided to the counties on the eve of the election, to the Attorney General playing dual roles as a political candidate and legal arbiter with a vested personal interest, to volunteer legal observers being prevented from having access to vote counting locations, we believe these conflicts and irregularities have greatly eroded public trust in the Commonwealth’s electoral system,” read the letter.
In the letter, the congressmen also asserted that the Attorney General should “recuse himself from all future elections and appoint an impartial designee moving forward,” due to his “inability to maintain impartiality and to separate his sworn duties from his political desires.” This was in response to the accusation that Shapiro made “social media posts calling the outcome of the election, prior to the tabulation of a single vote.”