Bob Casey Jr. Bio
Robert Patrick Casey Jr., known publicly as Bob Casey Jr., is an American lawyer and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 2007 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he built his political career in his home state, beginning as Pennsylvania Auditor General and State Treasurer before winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. Over nearly two decades in the Senate, Casey became a steady voice on health care, gun violence prevention, workers’ rights, and family economic policy.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Casey is the eldest son of former Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr. He graduated from Scranton Preparatory School, the College of the Holy Cross, and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. After his Senate tenure ended, Casey joined the University of Scranton in 2025 as a public service advisor.
Early Life and Background
Robert Patrick Casey Jr. was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1960. He is one of eight children raised by Ellen Harding and Bob Casey Sr., who later served as the 42nd governor of Pennsylvania. Casey grew up in a politically active Irish-American household that shaped his interest in public service from an early age.
He attended Scranton Preparatory School, where he played basketball and graduated in 1978. After high school, Casey enrolled at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1982. Between college and law school, he served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, teaching fifth grade and coaching basketball at the Gesu School in the Francisville neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Path to US Politics
Casey continued his education at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., receiving his Juris Doctor in 1988. He returned to his hometown and practiced law in Scranton for eight years, building a professional foundation before entering public office. His family’s political legacy, combined with his legal background, prepared him for a career in state government.
In 1996, Casey ran for Pennsylvania State Auditor General and won the Democratic nomination before securing the general election. He was reelected in 2000 and served two terms, from 1997 to 2005. After being term-limited, he successfully ran for State Treasurer in 2004 and held that office from 2005 to 2007, completing a quick climb through statewide offices.
Bob Casey Jr. Career
Early Career (1996-2005)
Casey’s political rise began when he was elected Pennsylvania Auditor General in 1996. The position gave him statewide visibility and a record of fiscal oversight that voters could evaluate. In 2000, he won reelection with ease, establishing himself as a capable Democratic figure in a state where his father had once been governor.
In 2002, Casey sought the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania to follow in his father’s footsteps. He faced former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell in what was then the most expensive primary in state history. Rendell won the nomination by carrying ten counties, mostly in southeastern Pennsylvania, and Casey endorsed him ahead of the general election. The loss redirected Casey’s ambitions toward statewide executive offices and eventually the U.S. Senate.
Breakthrough (2006)
Encouraged by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid, Casey launched his U.S. Senate campaign in March 2005. Governor Ed Rendell and other Pennsylvania Democrats quickly endorsed him. Two primary challengers criticized his socially conservative views, but Casey won 85 percent of the vote in the May 2006 Democratic primary.
On election night in 2006, Casey defeated Republican incumbent Rick Santorum with 59 percent of the vote to Santorum’s 41 percent. His 17.4-point margin was the largest ever for a Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania and the largest for a challenger against any incumbent senator since 1980. The breakthrough win made Casey a national figure inside the Democratic Party.
Democratic Era (2007-2025)
Casey served in the Senate during a turbulent stretch in American politics, including the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. He built a record on health care by voting for the Affordable Care Act in 2009 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. After the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, he reversed his earlier position on guns and became a leading Senate advocate for expanded background checks and an assault weapons ban.
He was reelected in 2012, defeating Republican Tom Smith with 53.7 percent of the vote, and became the first Democrat elected to a second Senate term in Pennsylvania since Joseph S. Clark Jr. in 1962. In 2018, Casey won a third term against U.S. Congressman Lou Barletta with 55.7 percent of the vote, becoming the first Democrat in state history to win six statewide elections. He supported abortion rights later in his career, voted against confirming Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, and pushed legislation on workplace artificial intelligence and shrinkflation in his final years.
Notable Events and Milestones
Casey’s 2024 bid for a fourth term ended in a 0.22 percent loss to Republican David McCormick in the closest Senate race of that cycle. He later attributed the narrow defeat to underperformance in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and erosion in rural counties. Earlier, he had been treated for prostate cancer in 2023.
Bob Casey Jr. Career Wins
Casey compiled a strong record in statewide elections across nearly three decades. His victories include two terms as Pennsylvania Auditor General, one term as State Treasurer, and three terms in the United States Senate.
Senate Highlights
Casey won his U.S. Senate seat in 2006 by defeating Republican incumbent Rick Santorum, then secured reelection in 2012 and 2018. His 2018 win made him the first Democrat in Pennsylvania history to claim a third Senate term and the first to win six statewide elections. He lost his 2024 reelection bid to Republican David McCormick by 0.22 percent.
Other Wins and Achievements
Casey won the Pennsylvania Auditor General’s race in 1996 and again in 2000, then captured the State Treasurer’s office in 2004. In 2002, he was named “Most Likely to Succeed” in a PoliticsPA feature. He later served as a public service advisor at the University of Scranton beginning in 2025.
Bob Casey Jr. Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Casey is the eldest son of Bob Casey Sr., the 42nd governor of Pennsylvania, and Ellen Harding. He is one of eight children in an Irish-American family with deep roots in Scranton. His brother Patrick Casey has worked as a lobbyist with reported contact with the U.S. Senate.
Personal Life
Casey married Terese Foppiano in 1985, and the couple has four children. He is Catholic. In 2023, he was treated for prostate cancer. After leaving the Senate in 2025, Casey joined the University of Scranton as a public service advisor.