(WHTM) – On This Week in Pennsylvania, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick sits down with James Crummel to discuss the launch of his second Senate campaign.

“It’s the same motivation is have from running the first time,” said McCormick. “I’m a Pennsylvania kid, I was born and raised here, and I’ve really lived the American dream. I’ve had everything Pennsylvania and this great country has to offer, and I think this country is headed in the wrong direction. I think it’s being challenged economically, militarily, spiritually and I think we need new leadership.”

McCormick argued that the man he hopes to face, incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey, is a “very inconsequential Senator” and a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden.

In 2022 McCormick lost the Republican nomination to Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. McCormick said his “life has been a lot about failing and then learning from the failure and learning to succeed” and that he believes he’ll be a better candidate this time around.

So far this time around, McCormick is the only major Republican candidate to announce a 2024 Senate run. In 2022 seven Republican candidates were on the ballot. McCormick said he hopes Republicans “come together” in 2024.

“It seems to be happening, to unite the party, come together, and run a really great race against Bob Casey is the gonna be key to success,” said McCormick. “I think what happened is Pennsylvania Republicans have realized the most important thing, no matter what the differences are among us, they’re small in comparison to the differences we have with the Democratic Party and the progressive set of policies that he’s promoted.”

McCormick has endorsements from Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressional block in 2024. The one endorsement he did not get last time was former President Donald Trump, who backed Oz late in the race.

When asked if he’ll see Trump’s endorsement, McCormick acknowledged the two have had their differences and said he believes Trump’s policies “took our country in the right direction,” but he did not say whether he’ll be seeking Trump’s endorsement a second time around.

McCormick said he’ll support and endorse the Republican nominee for president in 2024 and he “won’t get involved in presidential politics until then.”

When asked about his stance on abortion, McCormick says he is pro-life but believes in exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk.

“This is an issue we really do need to find empathy and compassion and find common ground, and there’s a lot of common ground to be found if you look across what Pennsylvanians think,” said McCormick. He says some of those places for common ground could include accessibility for contraception, support for adoption services, or late-term abortion restrictions.

“What I would support is finding common ground along those lines, and this is where I think the Democratic Party is out of step,” said McCormick.