Bob Casey voted to ban TikTok. How will that play in the Pa. Senate race?
Sen. Bob Casey voted for legislation that will require TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the U.S. The Democrat faces a reelection contest with Republican Dave McCormick.
Sen. Bob Casey, shortly after winning his uncontested primary, voted late Tuesday night to ban TikTok in the U.S. if it does not comply with a forced sale.
Casey (D., Pa.) joined a majority of senators from both parties supporting the measure, which was part of a broader package providing aid to Israel and the Ukraine. Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) also supported the bill, which President Joe Biden signed on Wednesday.
The policy, which was pushed over concerns about the app’s alleged national security risk, is likely to play a role in Casey’s Senate race in Pennsylvania, where his Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, has emphasized a tough stance on China.
The company’s owner, ByteDance, is based in Beijing. TikTok has become increasingly popular among young Americans in recent years. As of last year, the social media platform announced it had reached 150 million users in the U.S.
What is in the bill?
Now that Biden has signed the bill ByteDance will have about nine months to sell the app or see it get banned in the United States.
Lawmakers have been contemplating a TikTok ban for years over concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could use the app to access Americans’ private data. TikTok has disputed those claims and has pledged to challenge the law in court.
Where do McCormick and Casey land on the issue?
TikTok had campaigned against the ban in the weeks leading up to the vote. The company ran ads in Pennsylvania and other states with competitive Senate races highlighting the range of people who use the social media platform.
In a statement following the vote, Casey highlighted other pieces of the legislation, including aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, alongside sanctions to combat fentanyl trafficking. Casey skipped election-related events in Pennsylvania to vote on the package.
He did not mention the TikTok restrictions and his office did not immediately respond to questions about the provision. He contended that the overall package will help deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan with $8 billion of the $95 billion package slated to go to Taiwan.
“This critical national security funding bill sends a clear message to our adversaries that the United States will always push back against authoritarians, terrorists, cartels, and those who threaten democracy and freedom,” Casey said in a statement.
McCormick told PennLive last month that he supported the provision. He’s placed an emphasis in his campaign on national security, including restrictions on U.S. investments in Chinese companies.
“I’m very glad to see this bill headed to the president’s desk, but if we’re serious about tackling China’s aggression, we must confront the pervasive threat of it siphoning Americans’ data across U.S.-based platforms,” McCormick said in a statement to The Inquirer Wednesday.
He also attacked Casey for using the app. The senator has a public account but has not posted in more than a year.
“If Sen. Bob Casey actually agrees TikTok is a threat, why is he still on the app? Time for Casey to get off TikTok and focus on protecting Pennsylvanians from this danger.”
How will this affect Pa. billionaire Jeff Yass?
Pennsylvania’s richest man, Jeff Yass, was an early investor in TikTok. Yass’ company owns a 15% stake in the app, worth about $21 billion last year according to the Wall Street Journal.
Yass was one of 41 donors who contributed a total of $18 million to a super PAC supporting McCormick’s campaign.
Yass could see a financial loss if a TikTok ban were enacted. Former President Donald Trump, who tried to institute a ban as president, came out against the policy after meeting with Yass earlier this year. The presumptive Republican nominee for president said he did not discuss TikTok in the meeting.