DAVID MCCORMICK

More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.

The sense of urgency surrounding the court’s action fell off last week, when Republican Senate candidate David McCormick conceded to rival Mehmet Oz.

Election 2022 Senate Pennsylvania Boxes of recounted ballots from the recent Pennsylvania primary election are stacked at the Chester County Voter Services office in West Chester, Pa., Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Matt Rourke)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing elections officials to count mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania that lack a handwritten date but were received in time. Last week, Alito had imposed a temporary hold on counting the ballots to give the justices more time to consider the matter. McCormick wanted ballots lacking handwritten dates counted in his race too, but he has since conceded to Oz. The state law requires voters to write a date on the envelope in which they mail in their ballots.

The Supreme Court is allowing elections officials to count mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania that lack a handwritten date but were received in time.

The Supreme Court is allowing elections officials to count mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania that lack a handwritten date but were received in time. Last week, Alito had imposed a temporary hold on counting the ballots to give the justices more time to consider the matter. At the time, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick was locked in a tight contest with celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.

Oz will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman — who recently had a stroke — in the November midterm election.

The outcome isn't very surprising, since David McCormick conceded last week.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/File) (Uncredited)HARRISBURG, Pa. — (AP) — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won Pennsylvania's Republican U.S. Senate primary on Wednesday, narrowly defeating former hedge fund CEO David McCormick after a dayslong recount. John Fetterman in November in a race that could help determine control of the closely divided Senate. The recount determined that Oz had eked out victory over McCormick by 951 votes out of more than 1.3 million cast. Fetterman, meanwhile, is recovering from a stroke he suffered just days before his own primary, which he easily won.

Dr. Mehmet Oz has won Pennsylvania's Republican U.S. Senate primary after a dayslong recount.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. More than two weeks out from the primary election, Republicans had begun to consider a bitter primary becoming further drawn-out by a recount and lawsuits over mail-in ballots. Before the recount, Oz led McCormick by 972 votes out of 1.34 million votes counted in the May 17 primary. Like McCormick, Oz moved from out of state to run in Pennsylvania. Like Oz, McCormick had worked hard to earn Trump’s endorsement, and he insisted he was the authentic “America First” candidate, invoking Trump's nickname for his governing philosophy.

Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick is conceding the Republican primary in Pennsylvania for U.S. Senate to celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. McCormick ended his campaign Friday night as he acknowledged an ongoing statewide recount wouldn’t give him enough votes to make up the deficit.

Oz led McCormick by less than 1,000 votes as state officials conducted a recount after the May 17 primary.

Before the recount, Oz led McCormick by 972 votes out of 1.34 million.

The Senate Republican primary is still too close to call, now more than two weeks after Pennsylvania's primary election, and the mail-in vote, which has favored McCormick, could help him. The national and state party are fighting McCormick in state courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court could resolve the matter any day now. “Not at this point, because it’s still in litigation,” said Republican state Rep. Seth Grove, who chairs the committee that writes election-related legislation. In court, the Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party have opposed McCormick. For instance, the Butler County Republican Party, which endorsed McCormick, hasn’t taken a side in the fight, said county GOP chair Al Lindsay.

When Philadelphia’s election board prepared to count ballots last year that were mailed-in without the voter’s handwritten date, Republicans threatened impeachment.

When Philadelphia's election board prepared to count ballots last year that were mailed in without the voter's handwritten date, Republicans threatened impeachment. Now a GOP Senate candidate wants counties to embrace the same approach. In a last-ditch bid to close a roughly 900-vote gap with Dr. Mehmet Oz, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick is pressing for undated mail-in ballots to be counted.

The images have in recent years become more prevalent, and intentionally provocative, in Republican advertising, holidays greetings and other forms of communication with the public

The Supreme Court is reviewing a lower court’s decision that the votes be tallied.

Election 2022 Senate Pennsylvania Election workers perform a recount of ballots from the recent primary election at the Montour County administration center in Danville, Pa., Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Matt Rourke)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the counting of some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, an order that could affect the tight Republican Senate primary between former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. An order from Justice Samuel Alito paused a lower-court ruling in a lawsuit over a disputed 2021 local court election that would have allowed the counting of mail-in ballots that lacked a handwritten date. As McCormick scrounges for ballots to make up the gap with Oz, Alito’s order also could freeze a separate federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania in which McCormick is fighting to force counties to count the ballots. The high court's action, called an administrative stay, freezes the matter until the court can give it further consideration.

The U.S. Supreme Court is temporarily blocking the counting of some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the counting of some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, an order that could affect the tight Republican Senate primary between former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. An order from Justice Samuel Alito paused a lower-court ruling in a lawsuit over a disputed 2021 local court election that would have allowed the counting of mail-in ballots that lacked a handwritten date. Based on that ruling, the state had advised counties to count those ballots in the race between McCormick and Oz.

Mail-in ballots that arrived on time but in envelopes missing dates handwritten by voters have been a flashpoint in recent elections in the key swing state, including a close Republican primary race.

Barely 900 votes separate celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz from former hedge fund CEO David McCormick.

Election 2022 Senate Pennsylvania Election workers perform a recount of ballots from the recent primary election at the Montour County administration center in Danville, Pa., Friday, May 27, 2022. Montour County began the recount Friday, one of seven counties that said they would start right away. Counties have until June 7 to finish a recount and another day to report results to the state. The race has triggered Pennsylvania's automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law's 0.5% margin. The Associated Press will not declare a winner in the race until the recount is complete on June 8.

Recounting began Friday in the too-close-to-call Republican primary contest for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Unofficial results show Mehmet Oz narrowly ahead of David McCormick, and Pennsylvania law says statewide races must go to a recount if the top candidate is ahead by 0.5% of the vote or less.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/File) (Uncredited)HARRISBURG, Pa. — (AP) — Pennsylvania's top election official was expected to certify Wednesday that the margin between the top two candidates in last week's Republican primary for U.S. Senate was tight enough to trigger a recount. The race is close enough to trigger Pennsylvania’s automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law’s 0.5% margin. The Associated Press will not declare a winner in the race until the recount is complete. Oz, the Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party oppose McCormick’s request.

Pennsylvania’s top election official says the margin between the top two candidates in last week’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate is tight enough to trigger a recount.

An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 18 children as he went from classroom to classroom, officials said. The assailant was killed by law enforcement.(May 24)

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. McCormick’s request for the state Supreme Court’s intervention came less than four hours before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline for counties to report their unofficial results to the state elections office. A separate court battle could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the candidates separated by fewer than 1,000 votes. In the filing with the state Supreme Court, McCormick asked justices to order counties to obey a brand-new federal appeals court decision and promptly count mail-in ballots that lack a required handwritten date on the return envelope. McCormick’s lawsuit is the first — but likely not the last — court battle in the contest between Oz and McCormick.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. McCormick's lawsuit was filed late Monday, less than 24 hours before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline for counties to report their unofficial results to the state. Tabas is supposed to "grow GOP voters and bring the party together, not to cast them aside and drive wedges,” Schultz said. Tom Wolf’s administration issued guidance to counties saying that any ballots without dates must be counted, citing the 3rd U.S. McCormick’s lawsuit is the first — but likely not the last — lawsuit in the contest between Oz and McCormick.

McCormick's lawsuit was filed late Monday, less than 24 hours before Tuesday's deadline for counties to report their unofficial results to the state. Tom Wolf’s administration issued guidance to counties saying that any ballots without dates must be counted, citing the 3rd U.S. McCormick’s lawsuit is the first — but likely not the last — lawsuit in the contest between Oz and McCormick. It’s not clear how many mail-in ballots that lack a handwritten date have been received by counties. The plaintiffs in the underlying judicial race say a handwritten date plays no role in determining whether a ballot is valid, cast on time "or any other important facet of the voting and tabulation process."

The lawsuit​ asks the state's Commonwealth Court to require counties to promptly count mail-in ballots that lack a required handwritten date on the return envelope.

McCormick's lawsuit was filed late Monday, less than 24 hours before Tuesday's deadline for counties to report their unofficial results to the state. Oz led McCormick by 992 votes, or 0.07 percentage points, out of 1,341,037 ballots reported by the state as of Tuesday morning. The race is close enough to trigger Pennsylvania's automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law's 0.5% margin. Although he trails the vote count, McCormick has been doing better than Oz among mail-in ballots. The state law requires someone to write a date on the envelope in which they mail in their ballots.

Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick is going to Pennsylvania’s highest court in an eleventh-hour bid to help him close the gap in votes with celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s neck-and-neck Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

In the close Republican primary race to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, David McCormick questioned the constitutionality of refusing to count absentee and mail-in ballots lacking a handwritten date.

The Republican National Committee is intervening against David McCormick's campaign in a mail-in ballot counting case in the Pennsylvania Senate primary.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Senate Republican candidate for Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Dave McCormick talks to supporters as returns show a close race during his returns watch party in the Pennsylvania primary election, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Pittsburgh. McCormick's lawsuit, filed after hours, asks the state's Commonwealth Court to require counties to promptly count mail-in ballots that lack a required handwritten date on the return envelope. It is the first — but likely not the last — lawsuit in the contest between Oz and McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO. The race is close enough to trigger Pennsylvania’s automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law’s 0.5% margin. Although he trails the vote count, McCormick has been doing better than Oz among mail-in ballots.

David McCormick’s campaign is suing in a Pennsylvania court over his neck-and-neck Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate against celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. McCormick is trying to ensure counties obey a brand-new federal appeals court decision.

The campaign of David McCormick, who is in a neck-and-neck Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate against celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, sued in a Pennsylvania court Monday to try to ensure counties obey a brand-new federal appeals court decision that could help him make up ground. McCormick's lawsuit, filed after hours, asks the state's Commonwealth Court to require counties to promptly count mail-in ballots that lack a required handwritten date on the return envelope.

Republican candidates' hitching their wagon to Trump and Trumpism raises a question about pivoting in the general election.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has been released from the hospital after a stay of more than a week following a stroke.

A likely recount would mean that the race between Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick might not be decided until June 8, the deadline for counties to report their results to the state.

The ruling could introduce an as-yet-unknown number of uncounted ballots into a race where Oz and McCormick were separated by about 1,100 votes, as of Friday afternoon.

Election 2022 Pennsylvania Sentate FILE - Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates David McCormick, left, and Mehmet Oz during campaign appearances in May 2022 in Pennsylvania. The race is close enough to trigger Pennsylvania's automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law's 0.5% margin. The Associated Press will not declare a winner in the race until the likely recount is complete. The big field of Republican candidates and their super PACs reported spending more than $70 million during the primary campaign. ___This story has been corrected to show that more than 2 million ballots were cast in the November judicial contest, not 5.1 million ballots.

The race remained close enough to trigger Pennsylvania’s automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law’s 0.5% margin. County election boards began meeting Friday to sort out problematic or provisional ballots, while election workers plowed through thousands of outstanding mail ballots. In Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, that included some uncounted election day precinct tallies. Statewide, McCormick was doing better than Oz among mail ballots, while Oz was doing better among votes cast on election day. Oz was helped by the endorsement from Trump, while a super PAC backing McCormick weighed in heavily, spending about $20 million, much of it to attack Oz.

Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat is too close to call and is likely headed for a statewide recount to decide the winner of the contest between heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick.

The Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate remained close enough to trigger Pennsylvania's automatic recount law.

Election officials in Pennsylvania are girding for similar complaints in November, but fear there are few ways to combat deliberate misinformation and rising political toxicity. “It’s concerning because it’s statements like that that lead to threats against election officials. Under state law, county officials are not allowed to start processing ballots submitted by mail until Election Day. But changing the law to allow mail-in ballots to be processed sooner could ease a lot of the suspicion, experts say. Election officials are also eagerly awaiting a ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that could dramatically reshape mail-in balloting in November.

Oz’s margin has narrowed in the past day, as county election officials continue to count mail ballots, but election workers still have thousands of ballots left to count in the exceptionally close race. Pennsylvania’s Department of State, which oversees elections, said Thursday that there are about 51,000 mail-in and absentee ballots — 17,000 in the Republican primary — left to be counted. County election officials have counted almost all ballots cast in person on election day, with the exception of Allegheny County, according to an Associated Press survey of county election officials. McCormick leads Oz in Allegheny County among mail ballots and those that were cast on election day. Delaware County and Philadelphia also have some precinct results from election day still left to be counted, according to the McCormick campaign.

Oz’s margin has narrowed in the past day, as county election officials continue to count mail ballots, but election workers still have thousands of ballots left to count in the exceptionally close race. Pennsylvania’s Department of State, which oversees elections, said Thursday that there are about 51,000 mail-in and absentee ballots — 17,000 in the Republican primary — left to be counted. County election officials have counted almost all ballots cast in person on election day, with the exception of Allegheny County, according to an Associated Press survey of county election officials. McCormick leads Oz in Allegheny County among mail ballots and those that were cast on election day. Delaware County and Philadelphia also have some precinct results from election day still left to be counted, according to the McCormick campaign.

Vote counting in Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate has dragged into a third day as Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick remain essentially tied with tens of thousands of ballots left to tally.

Breaking down what we know about how this could end.

Tuesday was a mixed bag for candidates endorsed by the former President, who is making fresh suggestions of election fraud.

Counting of mailed ballots in Pennsylvania is drawing renewed scrutiny amid a too-close-to-call U.S. Senate primary between Republicans David McCormick and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Former President Donald Trump blasted the state’s elections procedures on social media, even though there are no indications of any wrongdoing with those ballots other than a printing error that was slowing the tally in one county.

Trailing in a distant third place in the seven-person GOP primary field was conservative activist Kathy Barnette. There are no plans for either candidate to make a public appearance, though former President Donald Trump has encouraged Oz to preemptively declare victory. Republican turnout exceeded 37%, the highest midterm primary turnout in at least two decades, juiced by more than $70 million in spending on the GOP primary alone. Oz has been helped by an endorsement from Trump, while a super PAC backing McCormick weighed in heavily in the race, spending about $20 million, much of it to attack Oz. Oz, who was born in the U.S., said he would renounce his dual citizenship in Turkey if he is elected.

The former president’s endorsement hardly matters when nearly every GOP primary candidate embraces his agenda—and so do Republican voters.

Mehmet Oz and David McCormick's neck-and-neck GOP Senate contest will come down to absentee ballots — and they're both OK with that.

Election 2022 Senate Pennsylvania Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, speaks to supporters at a primary night election gathering in Newtown, Pa., Tuesday, May 17, 2022. The contest between Oz and McCormick was within a couple of thousand votes overnight, out of more than 1.2 million cast. Trailing in a distant third place in the seven-person GOP primary field was conservative activist Kathy Barnette. Republican turnout exceeded 37%, the highest midterm primary turnout in at least two decades, juiced by more than $70 million in spending on the GOP primary alone. But they defaulted to repeating Republican complaints about decisions by state judges and election officials in how to administer the election.

Heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick are locked in a too-early-to-call race for the Republican nomination to fill an open Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat.

Celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz's bid to become the next Republican senator from Pennsylvania is in jeopardy.

Former President Donald Trump’s influence was enough to elevate his Senate candidate to victory in North Carolina on Tuesday.

Five states hold primaries Tuesday. The top race is in Pennsylvania, where the GOP Senate primary will be another test of Trump's influence, while Democratic voters seem to favor John Fetterman.

Donald Trump’s choice for Pennsylvania governor has won his primary, and his Senate pick is locked in an exceedingly close contest as the former president works to expand his hold on the Republican Party.

A flurry of unexpected developments underscored the tangled finish to one of the year’s most consequential Senate primaries.

Election-2022 Pennsylvania John Fetterman speaks to supporters at the Holy Hound Tap Room in downtown York, Pa., on Thursday, May. John Fetterman, who is leading in polls and fundraising in the Democratic Party's primary for U.S. Senate, remained in the hospital Monday after suffering a stroke right before the weekend. Some Republicans fear Barnette and Mastriano are too polarizing to beat Democratic opponents in a general election. Meanwhile, in the hard-fought Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Barnette worked to fend off growing attacks from former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Mehmet Oz, Trump's endorsed candidate. With polls showing a late surge for Barnette, Trump’s attacks reflected an eleventh-hour behind-the-scenes scramble by Trump allies and rival campaigns to discredit her.

The last full day of campaigning in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested primaries for governor and U.S. Senate is under way, with a top Senate candidate in the hospital and establishment Republicans trying to stave off victories by candidates they view as too toxic to win in the fall.

The last full day of campaigning in Pennsylvania's hotly contested primaries for governor and U.S. Senate began Monday with a top Senate candidate in the hospital and establishment Republicans trying to stave off victories by candidates they worry will be unelectable in the fall. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is leading in polls and fundraising in the Democratic Party's primary for U.S. Senate, remained in the hospital Monday after suffering a stroke right before the weekend. Meanwhile, new attack ads are airing against late-surging Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kathy Barnette as many in the Republican Party establishment have begun trying to consolidate their support to prevent Doug Mastriano from winning the party’s gubernatorial nomination in the presidential battleground state.

The Supreme Court has sided with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in his challenge to a provision of federal campaign finance law.

Republican Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz is stepping up his criticism of a far-right candidate in Pennsylvania who is gaining traction ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

Sensing a threat in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, Donald Trump has issued a warning that surging Republican candidate Kathy Barnette would upend the GOP’s chances of holding the seat in November.

Several prominent conservative groups are lining up behind Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Kathy Barnette as an alternative to Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

University of Nebraska regent Jim Pillen has won the state’s crowded Republican primary race for governor over a candidate endorsed by Donald Trump.

Former President Donald Trump enters the next stretch of the midterm campaign emboldened by primary victories but facing new risks.

Mehmet Oz’s rivals in Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate are escalating their attacks on the celebrity heart surgeon’s connections to his parents’ native country of Turkey, raising it as a possible national security issue.

What could be the final primary debate between Republicans running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat devolved into a string of attacks.

Voters across a dozen states are set to decide primary elections this month that will determine the people and priorities leading the GOP into the fall midterms and beyond.

Millionaire candidates and billionaire investors are harnessing their considerable personal wealth to try to win competitive Republican primaries for open U.S. Senate seats in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Republicans hoping to emerge from crowded primaries this year have spent tens of thousands of dollars hiring operatives with ties to former President Donald Trump.

Dave McCormick earned more than $22 million last year as CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund — the job he quit to run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is endorsing former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel in the heated Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in the Midwestern battleground.

As CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, David McCormick wore suits, lived on Connecticut’s ritzy Gold Coast and talked up bipartisanship.

Political observers say Republican candidates are using transgender people as a classic “wedge issue” as 2022 campaigns heat up.

Cash is pouring in to Pennsylvania’s hotly contested race for U.S. Senate as wealthy and well-connected candidates move in from out of state followed by millions of dollars.

Former President Donald Trump is holding off on making a new endorsement in Pennsylvania’s closely watched Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Pennsylvania's high-stakes race for an open U.S. Senate seat is seeing candidates bringing big bank accounts and big-time connections from blue states.