Bob Casey Moves Left, Gets Warren Campaign Cash

The Democratic civil war has led many politicians up for re-election in 2018 to re-evaluate their positions to better align with where they think the party is headed. One prominent example of this is Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). As Billy Penn highlights in a new article about Casey’s leftward shift, the Pennsylvania Senator is one of the “more vulnerable Democrats.”

To combat his vulnerability and to shore up his liberal base, Casey has moved to the left on core positions that he held when he first ran for Senate in 2006. Yesterday, Billy Penn showed that Casey has made a huge lurch to the left on guns and abortion since he joined the Senate:

“Casey, the son of former Gov. Bob Casey Sr., won his Senate seat in 2006 by running on a pro-gun, pro-life platform. Now, he’s been described as ‘an evangelist’ for gun control… Last week, Casey — though he personally opposes abortion — held a press conference at a Planned Parenthood location in Upper Darby to tout his efforts to protect federal funding for women’s health services.”

Casey’s leftward leap on guns and abortion has corresponded with a closer relationship with one of the Senate’s most extreme liberals, Elizabeth Warren. In fact, on the last day of 2016 Warren’s PAC donated $10,000 to Casey’s 2018 campaign. All these moves add up to a politician who has chosen the wishes of DC Democrats over the more moderate Democrats of his home state.