Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has bowed to pressure from some colleagues and invited Senator-elects Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) to the freshman orientation even though neither race has been conceded yet and ballots are still being counted. 

Schumer had originally excluded McCormick and Gallego from the invitation even though the Associated Press called McCormick the winner of the Pennsylvania race against incumbent Sen. Robert Casey on Thursday afternoon.

At the time, the race between Gallego and Republican Kari Lake had not been called by the AP.

Schumer appeared to change his mind after the AP called Gallego the winner early Tuesday morning.

A reversal

“Ruben Gallego and David McCormick have been invited to attend orientation,” a spokesperson for Schumer told reporters.

Schumer may also have been reacting to pushback from colleagues, particularly Republicans objecting to McCormick's exclusion before the Gallego race was called by the AP.

“Schumer is not allowing Dave McCormick to participate in Senate orientation this week because Casey refuses to concede the race. What happened to all the demands that our leaders accept the outcome of the elections?” Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio wrote on X.

“The idea that Schumer would not allow him to participate in Senate orientation is beyond unacceptable,” Republican South Dakota Sen. John Thune, one of three Senators vying for majority leader when Republicans take over the in January, tweeted. “The voters of Pennsylvania have spoken. Looking forward to having Dave’s strong voice in the Senate Republican Conference.”

"Disgusting"

Another potential majority leader, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), said the exclusion of McCormick was "disgusting."

“They did the same thing to me after I beat a Democrat in 2018. We have to fight this!” Scott wrote. He also called for Casey to concede.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he would personally escort McCormick into the Senate for the orientation.

“I’d like to see how they’d keep him out if he literally walked into ‘the room where it happens,'" he tweeted.

Former Arizona Sen. Kirsten Sinema said that she attended orientation in 2018 but that she attended the freshman orientation at the time.

McCormick currently leads by 40,000 votes, which means Casey would have to get over 70% of the remaining votes in counties McCormick currently leads or is narrowly behind Casey.