Dave McCormick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| United States Senator fromPennsylvania | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 Serving with John Fetterman | |
| Preceded by | Bob Casey Jr. |
| Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs | |
| In office August 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Timothy D. Adams |
| Succeeded by | Lael Brainard |
| United States Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs | |
| In office August 2006 – August 2007 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Caroline Atkinson (2011) |
| Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security | |
| In office October 7, 2005 – August 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Juster |
| Succeeded by | Mario Mancuso |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Harold McCormick (1965-08-17)August 17, 1965 (age 59) Washington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6[a] |
| Relatives | James H. McCormick (father) |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Princeton University (MA,PhD) |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1987–1992 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
David Harold McCormick (born August 17, 1965) is an American politician, businessman, and formerU.S. Armyofficer serving since 2025 as thejuniorUnited States senator fromPennsylvania. A member of theRepublican Party, he was thechief executive officer (CEO) ofBridgewater Associates, one of the world's largesthedge funds, from 2020 to 2022.[1][2]
McCormick graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1987 and served inIraq during theGulf War. He received theBronze Star while serving in the82nd Airborne Division.[3][4][5] In 1996, McCormick earned aPh.D. fromPrinceton University. From 2005 to 2009, he held several positions in theGeorge W. Bush administration, lastly asUnder Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs.[2] McCormick left the Bush administration in 2009 to become president of Bridgewater, a position he held until becoming co-CEO in 2017. He became its sole CEO in 2020 and stepped down from the position to run for the U.S. Senate in2022, but lost the Republican primary toMehmet Oz by 950 votes.
McCormick won the Republican nomination unopposed for the2024 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania and narrowly defeated three-term incumbentDemocratic senatorBob Casey Jr. by just over 15,000 votes out of nearly seven million cast, a margin of 0.22%.
McCormick was born inWashington, Pennsylvania, and raised in thePittsburgh area.[6][7] He attended high school inBloomsburg.[7][8] His father,James H. McCormick, was president ofBloomsburg University and chancellor for thePennsylvania State System of Higher Education.[7] His mother, Maryan G. McCormick, was acollege professor.[9]
McCormick graduated fromWest Point in 1987 with aBachelor of Science degree[10] in mechanical engineering. He was a four-time letterman on the Army wrestling team and the team's co-captain his senior year. He was a two-time Eastern runner-up at 167 pounds.[11]
In 1996, he earned aPh.D. ininternational relations fromPrinceton University's School of Public and International Affairs.[12] Two years later, he published a book,The Downsized Warrior, based on his doctoral thesis about the downsizing of the U.S. Army at the end of the Cold War.[11]
In 2021, McCormick received an honorary degree fromDickinson College.[13]
After graduating fromWest Point, McCormick went toUnited States Army Airborne School and toRanger School; he was named the Honor Graduate of Ranger School. He joined the82nd Airborne Division atFort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1987.[14]
McCormick was part of the first wave of U.S. troops deployed toIraq during theGulf War in 1991 and received theBronze Star for his actions.[15][16][17][5] He was executive officer of a combat engineering company of 130 soldiers tasked with clearingminefields and destroying enemy munitions. McCormick left the service in 1992 after five years' commissioned service, separating at the rank ofCaptain.[15][18][19]
From 1996 to 1999, McCormick worked as a consultant atMcKinsey & Co. based in Pittsburgh.[11]
In 1999, McCormick joined FreeMarkets, a global provider of software and services. Later that year, the company conducted aninitial public offering.[20] McCormick was promoted to president of FreeMarkets in 2001 and was named chief executive officer in 2002. He sold FreeMarkets toAriba in 2004 for approximately $500 million[11][21] and then remained at Ariba as president for the next 18 months until he was asked to join the Bush administration.[22]
McCormick joinedBridgewater Associates in 2009 as its president.[11] He became co-CEO in 2017,[23] and was responsible for overseeing the firm's management and liaising with institutional investors.[24][25]
In December 2019, it was announced that McCormick would become the sole CEO of Bridgewater in 2020, marking the end of a 10-year management transition of the firm.[26][1] As head of Bridgewater, McCormick had raised 8 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) for a private fund in China by November 2021.[27] In late 2021, while McCormick was mulling a run for aUnited States Senate seat inPennsylvania, he began to distance himself from Bridgewater founderRay Dalio and his defenses of China's human rights policies, openly rebuking him during company calls.[27] Bridgewater alsoshorted some iconic Pennsylvania companies, includingUS Steel andHershey, under his leadership.[28]
McCormick left Bridgewater on January 3, 2022, and was replaced byMark Bertolini and Nir Bar Dea as co-CEOs.[29]
McCormick's career in government began in 2005, when he was nominated and confirmed as theCommerce Department'sUnder Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security.[5][30][31] In this role, he oversaw export controls and was part of negotiations that led to theIndia–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement.[32] Later he became the Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Policy and wasGeorge W. Bush's personal representative and negotiator to theGroup of 8 (G8) industrialized countries before moving to theTreasury Department in 2007.[33]
McCormick wasUnder Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs from 2007 to 2009, serving as the United States' leading international economic diplomat.[34] In this role, he was the principal adviser to Treasury SecretaryHenry Paulson on international economic issues and oversaw policies in the areas ofinternational finance, trade in financial services, investment,economic development and international debt policy.
McCormick coordinated financial market policy with theGroup of Seven (G7) industrialized countries and theGroup of Twenty (G20)global economies, working withfinance ministers and their deputies.[11] He served as Paulson's point person on the international response to the2008 financial crisis.[35] McCormick was credited with using his relationships with top executives and policy makers around the world to help coordinate the Treasury Department's response.[15]
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WhenDonald Trump becamepresident-elect in 2016, he considered naming McCormick theU.S. Secretary of Treasury, but instead offered him the position ofU.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense.[36] McCormick declined this position because he was happy with his role at Bridgewater. In early 2019, the Trump administration considered McCormick forU.S. Secretary of Defense.[37]
In 2017,James Mattis named McCormick as a member of theDefense Policy Board Advisory Committee, a federal advisory committee to theU.S. Department of Defense. In 2020, Trump removed McCormick from this position along with 11 other members with ties to the foreign policy establishment.[38]
Since 2009, McCormick has donated more than $300,000 to politicians, political parties, andpolitical action committees.[39] He donated to the campaigns of SenatorsJohn McCain andMitch McConnell and the congressional campaign ofMike Pompeo.[39] In 2014, McCormick donated $25,000 to theRepublican Governors Association.[40] McCormick supportedJeb Bush's2016 presidential campaign.[41][42]
McCormick did not donate to Trump's 2016 or 2020 presidential campaigns.[39]
McCormick has mainly supported Republicans, but has also donated to Democrats, including congressional candidatesDan Helmer andAmy McGrath and SenatorJack Reed.[39][43]
It was reported in December 2021 that Republicans were recruiting McCormick to run for the Senate seat in Pennsylvania held byPat Toomey, who did not seek reelection in 2022.[44] On November 22, 2021,Sean Parnell—who had been endorsed by Trump and was regarded as a front-runner in the Senate race—withdrew from the race amid accusations of domestic violence from his estranged wife.[45] McCormick announced his candidacy for the Senate on January 13, 2022.[46]
McCormick's Republican primary opponents criticized him for recently being a resident ofConnecticut and for leading a hedge fund that invested in China.[46] ASuper PAC supportingMehmet Oz accused McCormick of outsourcing jobs from Pittsburgh to India while McCormick was CEO of FreeMarkets. McCormick denied the claim, but said he did have to eliminate 40 to 50 Pittsburgh-based jobs; McCormick denied that the decision was related to outsourcing.[47] In response to Oz, McCormick demanded Oz renounce hisdual citizenship withTurkey.[48]
In February 2022, McCormick ran a 30-second commercial duringSuper Bowl LVI highlighting the risinginflation rate and thewithdrawal of troops from Afghanistan against the audio background of crowds chanting "Let's go Brandon", a coded insult toJoe Biden.[49]
Trump endorsed Oz on April 10, 2022, citing the popularity of his television show and perceived appeal to female voters.[50] McCormick had sought Trump's endorsement, but according to McCormick, Trump told him he would need to say the2020 presidential election wasstolen in order to earn Trump's endorsement.[51]
McCormick lost the primary election to Oz, 31.2% to 31.1%. An automatic recount was triggered because Oz's margin of victory was less than 0.5%. The recount did not help McCormick, whose campaign launched a court case to have undated mail-in ballots counted with the rest of the votes. (The mail-in ballots were seen as potentially helping McCormick should they be included.) Oz's margin of victory was less than 1,000 votes.[52] On June 3, McCormick conceded to Oz.[53]
During the primary, McCormick released campaign televised advertisements questioning Oz's stances on issues such as abortion and gun rights, calling Oz a "Hollywood liberal" and a "RINO" (Republican In Name Only).[54] According toPolitico, those ads hurt Oz during his general election campaign against Democratic nomineeJohn Fetterman, who defeated Oz.[55]
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On September 21, 2023, McCormick announced his second Senate campaign.[56] Soon after announcing his candidacy, he was endorsed by thePennsylvania Republican Party and by Trump. He was already seen as the party's favorite and had the support of many Republican officials before he announced.[57] McCormick had a clear path to the Republican nomination after two minor candidates who filed to run against him were disqualified.[58]
McCormick was present at the July 2024 Pennsylvania rally where anattempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania took place.[8] He was in the front row of the rally, to Trump's right, when shots rang out. McCormick has said that shortly before the shooting, Trump invited McCormick on stage, but changed his mind and requested that McCormick instead wait till later in the rally. McCormick called the incident "very scary" and said Trump was "very lucky to be alive".[59]
Fox News called the race for McCormick by November 7, and theAssociated Press did so by November 12.[60]ABC,CBS,NBC andCNN projected the race for McCormick after Casey conceded on November 21.[61] McCormick's win was seen as anupset.
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McCormick took office on January 3, 2025. On January 9, he attendedJimmy Carter's state funeral.[62]
McCormick has voted to confirm all of Trump's cabinet nominees, includingPete Hegseth as secretary of defense.[63]
On March 11, 2025, McCormick co-sponsored his first bipartisan, bicameral bill, one of the co-sponsors being his fellow Pennsylvania SenatorJohn Fetterman. The legislation aims to improve federal coordination for the fentanyl crisis. McCormick said the bill would "empower our federal government to coordinate all the tools at its disposal to combat the trafficking of lethal fentanyl that is ruining American families."[64]
For the 119th Congress:[65]
McCormick expressed regret over the2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. He said the attack marks "a dark chapter in American history" and "puts a highlight on the responsibility of leaders to be able to create a dialogue where people are understood."[66] He also said, "I think [Trump] has some responsibility, a lot of responsibility for [the attack], and I think that this last dark chapter at the Capitol...history will look very unfavorably on that and all the people that were involved in that."[66]
McCormick has highlighted the benefits of free trade, stating in 2008 that "the key to remaining competitive in today's changing world is embracing openness to trade and to investment and to people".[67] In more recent times, he has supported President Trump's America First policy, indicating a shift. In the past, he has seemed to argue that the benefits of free trade outweighed the downside of displacing American workers and suggested retraining those whose jobs have become obsolete. He also opposed U.S. exports which gave advantages to China's military.[67] In 2009, McCormick andKaran Bhatia co-wrote an opinion piece for Wall Street Journal Asia supporting theTrans-Pacific Partnership.[68]
McCormick has championed the role of a strong United States on the world stage and has advocated for the idea that the United States can focus on addressing domestic issues while also leading efforts to promote human rights.[32] In 2016 he said, "If we are to promote equality and pluralism around the world, we must walk towards, rather than away from, our unique success in advancing these values at home while still embracing the idea that America is, and always will be, a work in progress".[32]
In 2007, McCormick spoke as a member of the Bush administration inBeijing, China, where he said that "When China succeeds, the United States succeeds" and that the U.S. owes "much of the strength and vitality of our economic relationship today to the remarkable success of China's economic development over the last three decades".[67] As a member of the Bush administration, McCormick pushed China to raise the value of its currency. He later praised President Trump's administration for measures to counter China.[32][67]
McCormick has called for increasing skilled immigration to the United States. He also supports building a wall on the US-Mexico border.[43][69]
In 2013, McCormick joined 131 other Republicans in signing anamicus brief filed at theUnited States Supreme Court supporting the legalization of gay marriage prior toObergefell v. Hodges.[70] During McCormick's tenure as CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the company's policy was to fully pay for gender transition surgery.[71][better source needed] During his campaign for Senate, McCormick stated that he opposes federal funding towards gender transition surgeries and transgender girls participating in girls' competitive sports.[71][better source needed]
In 2019, McCormick marriedDina Powell, an executive atGoldman Sachs who wasDeputy National Security Advisor in thefirst Trump administration.[7][37][72] Until 2015 he was married to Amy Richardson,[73] with whom he has four children.[74] He also has two stepdaughters from his marriage to Powell.[74]
McCormick and Powell live inPittsburgh'sSquirrel Hill neighborhood.[8] They previously owned a home inWestport, Connecticut, where his children attend high school and where he lived before his political campaigns.[75] After their divorce in 2015, Richardson received ownership of the couple's former primary residence in Westport, while McCormick retained ownership of a house inSouthport, Connecticut, and 70 acres of central Pennsylvania farmland.[73] In January 2023, he sold a condominium onManhattan'sUpper East Side.[75] As of 2023, McCormick rented a $16 million home in Westport.[75] As of March 2024, McCormick splits his time between Connecticut and Pennsylvania; his residency was a major issue during his 2024 Senate campaign.[76][77]
In 2009, McCormick taught atCarnegie Mellon University'sHeinz College, on its Washington, D.C. campus; he held the title ofDistinguished Service Professor of Information Technology, Public Policy and Management.[78] He was elected to a three-year term on CMU's board of trustees in 2011.[79]
McCormick is on the board of both theUnited Service Organizations (USO)[80][non-primary source needed] andthe Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).[81][non-primary source needed]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mehmet Oz | 420,168 | 31.21% | |
| Republican | Dave McCormick | 419,218 | 31.14% | |
| Republican | Kathy Barnette | 331,903 | 24.66% | |
| Republican | Carla Sands | 73,360 | 5.45% | |
| Republican | Jeff Bartos | 66,684 | 4.95% | |
| Republican | Sean Gale | 20,266 | 1.51% | |
| Republican | George Bochetto | 14,492 | 1.08% | |
| Total votes | 1,346,091 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave McCormick | 878,320 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 878,320 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave McCormick | 3,399,295 | 48.82% | +6.20% | |
| Democratic | Bob Casey Jr. (incumbent) | 3,384,180 | 48.60% | −7.14% | |
| Libertarian | John Thomas | 89,653 | 1.29% | +0.27% | |
| Green | Leila Hazou | 66,388 | 0.95% | +0.33% | |
| Constitution | Marty Selker | 23,621 | 0.34% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 6,963,137 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicangain from Democratic | |||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security 2005–2006 | Succeeded by Mario Mancuso |
| New office | United States Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs 2006–2007 | Vacant Title next held by Caroline Atkinson |
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Executive Officer ofBridgewater Associates 2017–2022 Served alongside:Eileen Murray (2011–2020) | Succeeded by Nir Bar Dea Mark Bertolini |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromPennsylvania (Class 1) 2024 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania 2025–present Served alongside:John Fetterman | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 94th | Succeeded by |
Statewide political officials ofPennsylvania | ||
|---|---|---|
| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| Senate |
| |
| House |
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| Supreme Court |
| |
 | ||
| ||
| Class 1 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| Notes | † Never officially seated | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
