Bob Casey (Incumbent)
Office Sought: U.S. Senate, representing Pennsylvania
Political Party: Democrat
Age: 58
Career: Attorney; former Pennsylvania auditor general
Campaign Website: https://bobcasey.com/
No. of Tweets: 956
No. of Facebook followers: 38,527
Biography: Casey is seeking a third term in the Senate. He followed his father, a former Pennsylvania governor and senator, into politics. He is an attorney who has taken up the mantle of immigration and healthcare in recent years.
On the Issues:
Fighting For American Workers
"Pennsylvania’s workforce has always been one of its most valuable assets, but right now, too many people are being left behind. Pennsylvanians deserve jobs that support families and allow workers to prepare for a secure retirement. A member of the Senate Finance Committee, Bob uses his position to fight for tax policies that support working families and actually encourage job growth. He stands with unions, supports family-friendly workplace policies and believes in raising the minimum wage."
Standing Up for Small Businesses
"From family farmers to small manufacturers to local shopkeepers, small business owners drive Pennsylvania’s economy. Bob Casey has spent his time in the Senate fighting for laws that support their contributions."
Protecting and Strengthening Healthcare
"Bob is focused on finding solutions that cover more people and lower health care costs, but he won’t support plans that would kick Pennsylvania families off of their insurance or leave them scrambling to pay for health care. It goes beyond fighting to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act; he understands that certain patients have specific barriers to coverage, and he has fought for laws that help everyone from children to retired miners get the care they need. He has introduced a bill to allow the importation of safe and affordable prescription drugs, and he supports plans to expand Medicaid and allow Americans to buy-in to Medicare starting at age 55."
Taking Care of Our Seniors
"Honoring our promises to seniors by protecting Social Security and Medicare, Bob Casey has made real changes in how Americans care for each other during his time in the Senate. Bob uses his positions on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Senate Special Committee on Aging to fight to strengthen Medicare for future generations. As Republicans push an agenda that threatens Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Bob is fighting back and doing everything he can to make sure America keeps its promises to seniors."
Protecting Families
"Bob has fought to protect families in the workplace, introducing legislation that makes child care more accessible and affordable and allows for more flexibility in work schedules. He also worked to provide support for victims of domestic violence as well as pregnant and parenting teens trying to complete their education. Bob is responsible for passing the most comprehensive campus sexual violence policy in decades, making our schools safer for our children. He has worked to ease the transition from early learning programs to elementary level education, providing children with quality education early in order to set them on a path for success later in life."
Education
"As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Bob passed key improvements to our K-12 education system into law as part of the 2015 Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. He believes that every student deserves an education that works for them, and he has been a voice for students with disabilities, for keeping kids in school, and for children transitioning from pre-K to kindergarten. He supports common sense gun safety measures like universal background checks and bans on high capacity magazines, assault weapons and bump stocks because no child should have to go to school worrying about their safety."
Equality at School and in the Workplace
"When women face obstacles to finishing their educations or performing at their full potential in the workforce, our families, our communities and our economy all suffer. Bob has cosponsored legislation that prevents discrimination in the workplace, whether based on gender or sexual orientation, and he supports equal pay, co-sponsoring the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Bob has fought for protections for employees who have been victims of sexual harassment and advocated for workplace policies that are family-friendly, giving mothers the support they need to succeed both in the workplace and at home."
Modern Infrastructure
"Bob Casey has successfully secured millions of dollars in infrastructure funding to repair and improve Pennsylvania’s thousands of roads, bridges and waterways, protecting and creating thousands of jobs and raising wages along the way. Bob knows that investing in infrastructure creates immediate jobs while contributing to Pennsylvania’s long-term economic security. He has joined with other Senate Democrats to push for an additional $500 billion on infrastructure investments over the next 10 years, allowing states and the federal government to address the repair backlog threatening our safety and economy."
National Security
"In the Senate, Bob has worked on national security issues such as preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, addressing the humanitarian crisis in Syria and promoting the safety of Afghan women and girls. Bob is committed to preserving and strengthening the United States’ relationship with Israel, and he supports a bilateral peace process as part of promoting peace throughout the Middle East. Bob served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for about 7 years and is the former chair of the Middle East subcommittee, which also covers North Africa, South Asia and Central Asia. He draws a hard line on Iran: specifically, he supported the Iran nuclear agreement because he believes we cannot trust the regime in power and need a method for independently verifying that they have not developed nuclear weapons. Bob believes we have a duty to care for our veterans. He is committed to fixing the VA backlog, improving veterans’ mental health care and helping veterans buy homes that meet their needs."
Global Trade
"Bob voted against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the Finance Committee and agreed with pulling the United States out of the agreement because it put Pennsylvania workers at a disadvantage. He supports renegotiating NAFTA to create a level playing field for American workers."
Supporting Rural Pennsylvanians
"Bob has spent his career fighting for farmers across Pennsylvania, helping to fight against inferior foreign knock-offs. He has worked to make these regions more accessible, investing in infrastructure like roads, bridges and broadband networks. He has introduced legislation to compensate farmers who implement conservation efforts and reimburse farmers who donate their products to food banks, and he has helped to provide monetary assistance for changes in market value that affect the business costs of small farmers."
Environment
"Bob believes, as it says in Article I Section 27 of the Pennsylvania constitution, that "the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment." He has proactively fought to preserve Pennsylvania’s clean drinking water, clean air, and expansive farmland while striving to advance our economy technologically; he knows that climate change is a scientific fact, and that it poses a real and imminent threat that must be addressed before it’s too late. He understands the importance of protecting public lands, promoting clean energy sources and safeguarding our air and water supply. Because of his dedication, Bob has been endorsed for re-election by the League of Conservation Voters and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC)."
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