PENNSYLVANIA
      Nov. 6, 2012 Senate

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+Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D) i
 		3,021,364
 		53.69%
Tom Smith (R)
 		2,509,132
 		44.59%
Rayburn Douglas Smith (L)
 		96,926
 		1.72%

5,627,422
Voter registration: 8,508,015.
Plurality: 512,232 votes (9.10 percentage points).
 PA Department of State



Notes:  Sen. Bob Casey (D) won a second term, defeating businessman Tom Smith (R) by 9.10 percentage points; also on the ballot was Rayburn Douglas "Doug" Smith (L). 

In Jan. 2012 the Pennsylvania Republican state committee endorsed Steve Welch, an entrepreneur backed by Gov. Tom Corbett, to take on Casey.  Welch, from Chester County, had founded Mitos Technologies, DreamIt Ventures and KinderTown, but he also was open to criticism as he had voted for Obama in 2008.  The April 24 primary was competitive with five candidates on the ballot.  Smith, a one-time coal mine owner who only changed his registration from Democratic to Republican in 2011, spent big on advertising and topped the field, garnering 299,726 votes (39.51%); former state Rep. Sam Rohrer was second at 169,118 (22.30%), followed by Welch 158,181 (20.85%), businessman David Christian 79,581 (10.49%) and attorney Marc Scaringi 51,908 (6.84%). 

Casey won the April 24 Democratic primary by 565,488 (80.88%) to 133,683 (19.12%) for Joseph Vodvarka, a small business owner and manufacturer of springs and wire forms.

Casey and Smith engaged in just one broadcast debate, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania from the WPVI-TV studios in Philadelphia (>).

Meanwhile, in the presidential race, Pennsylvania was seen as likely to go Democratic and saw relatively little activity (+); Obama-Biden ultimately won by 2,990,274 votes (52.08%) to 2,680,434 (46.68%), a plurality of 309,840 votes (5.40) percentage points.

Smith put $16.3 million of his own money into his campaign including in the primary, and according to Open Secrets (>) the Smith campaign outspent the Casey campaign by $21.2 million to $14.3 million.  Additionally there was $5.6 million in outside spending.


Campaign Managers:
Bob Casey:  Larry Smar
Communications director to Sen. Casey, Jun. 2007-2010.  Communications and policy director on Bob Casey for Senate, Apr. 2005-Nov. 2006.  Research director on Friends of Barbara Boxer, Jan.-Nov. 2004.  Research director to Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), May 2003-Jan. 2004.  Legislative assistant to Sen. Jean Carnahan (MO), Jan.-July 2001. 

Tom Smith:  Jim Conroy
Principal at Victory Strategies from 2007.  Executive director of the Connecticut Republican Party, 2011.  Campaign manager on Fedele for Governor (CT), May-Sept. 2010.  Deputy campaign manager on Simmons for Senate (CT), Apr. 2009-May 2010.  Deputy director of Election Day operations at the RNC, Nov. 2007-Aug. 2008.   Consultant at Capitol Strategies Group, 2006-07.  Director of Victory 2006 for Connecticut Republicans, 2005-06.  Program manager at Stonington Institute, 2004-05.  Political director for Connecticut Republicans, 2002-03.  Graduate of Syracuse University, 2002.
 

See also:
Robert J. Vickers.  "Analysis: Sen. Bob Casey Jr. walks political tightrope as he seeks second term."  pennlive.com, July 15, 2012.

Keegan Gibson.  "PAGOP Endorses Welch."  PoliticsPA, Jan. 28, 2012.





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