Democrat Dan McCaffery has beaten Republican Carolyn Carluccio in a closely watched Pennsylvania Supreme Court race, gaining a seat on the crucial court for abortion, voting and more in the presidential battleground state, The Associated Press projects.
The race was for the seat previously held by Max Baer, a Democratic justice who died last year. Baer’s death narrowed Democratic control of the court from 5-2 to 4-2.
In a sign of the race’s importance, the AP reported that it cost “upwards of $22 million, believed to be a state spending record for a high court race in Pennsylvania.”
Both McCaffery and Carluccio were already judges on lower courts. Before facing off against McCaffery, Carluccio won the GOP primary over the Trumpier candidate, Patricia McCullough, who voted as an appeals court judge to halt the state’s certification of the 2020 election.
And despite its Democratic majority, the court that could play a pivotal role in the 2024 election has tied on voting-related cases.
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