Kathy Barnette has risen dramatically in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in recent weeks.
With five days until the primary, polls show a three-way race between Barnette, Dave McCormick, the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, and Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV host.
Oz currently leads the pack, but McCormick — and Barnette — are nipping at his heels. The latter’s rise coincided with the Supreme Court’s draft opinion leak concerning Roe v. Wade.
Barnette had a transformative moment at a debate when she told the audience how her mother gave birth to her at age 11 after being raped.
Barnette got additional boosts when the anti-tax Club for Growth endorsed her cash-strapped campaign and began airing ads on her behalf. She also won the backing of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List.
However, concerns about her past and chances in a general election have prompted President Donald Trump and Fox News’ Sean Hannity to urge Pennsylvania Republicans to not vote for her.
“Kathy Barnette will never be able to win the General Election against the Radical Left Democrats,” Trump wrote in a statement. He continued, “She has many things in her past which have not been properly explained or vetted, but if she is able to do so, she will have a wonderful future in the Republican Party—and I will be behind her all the way.”
Trump’s remarks on Thursday mirrored those of Hannity the night before, who also called out Barnette over her most problematic tweets.
Both Trump and Hannity have endorsed Oz.
Mediaite further reports:
“While Kathy claims to be a MAGA conservative, she has a very troubling history of attacking Donald Trump,” said Hannity on Wednesday night while reading some of her old tweets.
“Dr. Oz is the only one who will be able to easily defeat the Crazed, Lunatic Democrat in Pennsylvania. A vote for anyone else in the Primary is a vote against Victory in the Fall!” concluded Trump in his statement.
The Pennsylvania primary to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) has already been one of the most expensive and divisive in recent memory. Politico reported this week that Barnette’s “opponents Mehmet Oz and David McCormick have spent $12.4 million and $11.4 million on television commercials, respectively, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.”
McCormick, a former hedge fund boss and Trump administration official, has the backing of former Trump officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Read Trump’s full statement below:
Kathy Barnette will never be able to win the General Election against the Radical Left Democrats.
She has many things in her past which have not been properly explained or vetted, but if she is able to do so, she will have a wonderful future in the Republican Party—and I will be behind her all the way.
Dr. Oz is the only one who will be able to easily defeat the Crazed, Lunatic Democrat in Pennsylvania. A vote for anyone else in the Primary is a vote against Victory in the Fall!
The Pennsylvania primary is on Tuesday, May 17.
Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
I have tried to very diligent and educated on the available candidates. While I respect President Trump and Sean Hannity, I am disgusted by the spliced/swamp-style ad against Ms. Barnette by the Oz super pac and Sean’s scare tactic commentary. In my own quest to learn about each of the candidates, I easily found her videos, recordings, etc. I found actual statements that they cut for the “crazy” candidate YouTube negative ad. While I am still undecided, I am unhappy with these smear tactics so do not have Dr. Oz as my top choice currently. We are better than this.
Hannity is an obnoxious narcissist; his opinion means little to me. I am an avid Trump supporter but have a difficult time accepting Oz the choice for PA Senator.
Poorly written article. Instead of just alluding to “things in her past”, give examples!