**Pennsylvania Senate Race to Undergo Recount Amid Tight Margins**

In a tightly contested Pennsylvania Senate race, the narrow margin between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey has triggered an automatic recount under state law. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced Wednesday that the unofficial results, showing a razor-thin lead, necessitate a recount. According to Schmidt, counties are required to begin the recount process by November 20 and complete it by noon on November 26, with final results expected to be published on November 27.

Currently, McCormick leads Casey by just over 29,000 votes, or 0.4 percent of the total votes cast. In Pennsylvania, any margin under 0.5 percentage points mandates a recount. NBC News has yet to project a winner in this close race.

McCormick’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Gregory, described the Republican's lead as "insurmountable," expressing that a recount would only waste time and taxpayer money. "A recount will be a waste of time and taxpayer money, but it is Senator Casey's prerogative," she stated. Referring to McCormick's own narrow primary loss in 2022, Gregory added, "Senator-elect McCormick knows what it's like to lose an election and is sure Senator Casey will eventually reach the right conclusion."

However, Sen. Casey has not conceded. "When the vote gets to a certain level, the state makes a determination and they made that determination. Lot more votes to count," he mentioned at the Capitol on Wednesday. Casey also emphasized in a previous statement that Pennsylvania is a cradle of American democracy and pledged to see the process through.

Former President Donald Trump, who had carried Pennsylvania, helped secure the presidency in a previous election, but McCormick's vote count shows a notable drop-off when compared to Trump's votes, with over 100,000 fewer votes for McCormick. On the other hand, Casey trails Vice President Kamala Harris by about 40,000 votes.

Confident of his victory, McCormick had already declared himself the winner shortly after the election, addressing supporters in Pittsburgh last Friday. "There was no path for Casey to surpass him," he asserted, and wished his opponent and his family well. "But we've got to move on to changing the direction of the country," he added.

When questioned about the potential recount, McCormick stated, "I don't know whether there will be a recount or not, but the people have spoken, there's a clear victory and I'll respectfully move forward on that basis."

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have secured the Senate majority with wins in West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana. Democratic Senate candidates also won their races in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, even as Trump carried those states. The final outcome of the Pennsylvania Senate race remains pending as the recount process begins.