Politico calls her a ‘Ultra MAGA Commentator’ so I already like her. And so do a lot of Pennsylvanians. Look for Trump to endorse her soon.
Kathy Barnette has been outspent 358-to-1 on TV in Pennsylvania's GOP primary for the Senate. She hasn't run for statewide office before. She doesn't have former President Donald Trump's endorsement.
But the ultra-MAGA commentator is surging in the polls anyway in the final weeks of one of the most expensive and closely watched races in the country.
Barnette's unlikely -- and, to some, unbelievable -- rise has turned heads in political circles across the state because it defies political logic. Just two years ago, she lost a House bid in the Philadelphia suburbs by a wide margin. This time around, her 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. Other candidates and outside groups have bankrolled $25 million more in spots. Oz has also won a highly sought-after nod from Trump.
Barnette, on the other hand, has spent a paltry $137,000 on TV.
"Barnette's apparent rise is surprising just because of the lack of notoriety or resources compared to some of the other candidates in that race," said Brian Nutt, a Pennsylvania-based Republican strategist who is not working for a candidate in the contest.
Barnette has a purist's zeal, a compelling life story, and the ability to tell it to Republican grassroots voters. And, according to Republican strategists and officials across the state, Barnette is likely benefiting from a smashmouth primary that features Oz and McCormick going nuclear on each other on TV. GOP voters have been inundated with attack ads slamming Oz as a "RINO" and McCormick as a stooge for China, leading some to look for a third option.
...
"They're spending $50 million on ads. That is their campaign," she said of her opponents. "Unless there's some high-falutin' press conference or debates or events to go to, it's overwhelmingly on television. And it's these plastic, little run-of-the-mill political ads."
...
"I think it's real. I've had grassroots political people tell me for a while that when there's candidate forums, she's the one who has the most enthusiasm. And what was said about her was, 'Boy, I really like her, but she can't win,'" said Chris Mottola, a GOP consultant and Pennsylvania native who is not involved in the race. "With Oz and McCormick just savaging each other, they wind up with high negatives. All of a sudden, you're like, 'Well, why not vote for her? I do really like her.'"
GOP consultants said another factor that helps explain her bump in the polls is her link to state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the frontrunner in the state's GOP primary for governor. Mastriano and Barnette have endorsed each other and campaigned alongside each other.
...
Like Mastriano, Barnette has made false statements about voter fraud in 2020. She said at a debate that it is "absolutely not" time for the GOP to move past the presidential election.
"Her numbers are starting to line up with Mastriano's," said Christopher Nicholas, a longtime Pennsylvania-based GOP consultant. "He endorsed her and she endorsed him, and I said at the time she got the better of that deal."
www.politico.com
Kathy Barnette has been outspent 358-to-1 on TV in Pennsylvania's GOP primary for the Senate. She hasn't run for statewide office before. She doesn't have former President Donald Trump's endorsement.
But the ultra-MAGA commentator is surging in the polls anyway in the final weeks of one of the most expensive and closely watched races in the country.
Barnette's unlikely -- and, to some, unbelievable -- rise has turned heads in political circles across the state because it defies political logic. Just two years ago, she lost a House bid in the Philadelphia suburbs by a wide margin. This time around, her 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. Other candidates and outside groups have bankrolled $25 million more in spots. Oz has also won a highly sought-after nod from Trump.
Barnette, on the other hand, has spent a paltry $137,000 on TV.
"Barnette's apparent rise is surprising just because of the lack of notoriety or resources compared to some of the other candidates in that race," said Brian Nutt, a Pennsylvania-based Republican strategist who is not working for a candidate in the contest.
Barnette has a purist's zeal, a compelling life story, and the ability to tell it to Republican grassroots voters. And, according to Republican strategists and officials across the state, Barnette is likely benefiting from a smashmouth primary that features Oz and McCormick going nuclear on each other on TV. GOP voters have been inundated with attack ads slamming Oz as a "RINO" and McCormick as a stooge for China, leading some to look for a third option.
...
"They're spending $50 million on ads. That is their campaign," she said of her opponents. "Unless there's some high-falutin' press conference or debates or events to go to, it's overwhelmingly on television. And it's these plastic, little run-of-the-mill political ads."
...
"I think it's real. I've had grassroots political people tell me for a while that when there's candidate forums, she's the one who has the most enthusiasm. And what was said about her was, 'Boy, I really like her, but she can't win,'" said Chris Mottola, a GOP consultant and Pennsylvania native who is not involved in the race. "With Oz and McCormick just savaging each other, they wind up with high negatives. All of a sudden, you're like, 'Well, why not vote for her? I do really like her.'"
GOP consultants said another factor that helps explain her bump in the polls is her link to state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the frontrunner in the state's GOP primary for governor. Mastriano and Barnette have endorsed each other and campaigned alongside each other.
...
Like Mastriano, Barnette has made false statements about voter fraud in 2020. She said at a debate that it is "absolutely not" time for the GOP to move past the presidential election.
"Her numbers are starting to line up with Mastriano's," said Christopher Nicholas, a longtime Pennsylvania-based GOP consultant. "He endorsed her and she endorsed him, and I said at the time she got the better of that deal."
‘Ultra-MAGA’ longshot roars into contention in key Senate race
Private polling conducted by both Republicans and Democrats confirms Kathy Barnette's momentum in the Senate GOP primary.
www.politico.com
