Steak in the race: Dave McCormick visits Geno’s with former Sen. Pat Toomey

It was bound to happen eventually.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick took the popular campaign pilgrimage to the neon lights of Geno’s Steaks on Wednesday and beneath an awning — shielding him from a chilly rain — ordered a cheesesteak.

There were a few pitfalls. McCormick’s huge campaign bus struggled to navigate the narrow South Philadelphia streets, so McCormick, former Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, and National Republican Senate Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R., Mont.), had to hop off and walk a few blocks in the rain.

“Joe Biden screwed up the weather,” McCormick said to a crowd of supporters and reporters awaiting his visit.

After accidentally ordering at the fries-only window, McCormick ordered four sandwiches “wiz wit,” for him and his entourage, avoiding the fate of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who is immortalized to this day for asking for Swiss cheese on his steak in 2003.

Post-chow down, McCormick put on an apron to grill some steak with Daines. Toomey, who retired from the Senate in 2023, said he’s also retired from flipping steaks.

McCormick has faced persistent attacks for living part-time in Connecticut and he got a few “outsider” accusations for the cheesy photo op, with some noting on social media that it’s mainly tourists who traverse the popular stretch of Passyunk Avenue dubbed “cheesesteak Vegas.”

But Geno’s, and rival shop Pat’s King of Steaks, are a frequent draw for candidates seeking Philly flavor and voter favor. Geno’s has particularly been a haven for GOP candidates. The shop for 10 years displayed a sign that said “This is AMERICA. When ordering, speak English.” It was quietly removed in 2016.

Former Senate candidate Mehmet Oz broke Liscio’s bread at Geno’s last year, though his visit to Pat’s did not go as well. Former President Donald Trump visited in 2016 and then returned to the block last year for a surprise visit to Pat’s.

Pat’s has more often been the choice of Democrats. Biden ordered a “wiz widdout,” there as vice president in 2010. Sen. Bob Casey, the Democrat who McCormick is challenging, said he had his first-ever cheesesteak at Pat’s “sometime in the ‘90s.” Asked for his favorite place to get a cheesesteak, Casey said Pat’s until an aide noted it was a pretty touristy response.

“Dalessandro’s is also very good,” Casey said.

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