'Ultra-MAGA' longshot roars into contention in key Senate race (PA)

[brooklynite]

Politico

PHILADELPHIA — 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.

[JoeOtterbein]

1. Thanks for beating me to the post! I'll just add...

...Private polling conducted by both Republicans and Democrats confirms Kathy Barnette's momentum in the Senate GOP primary.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

05/10/2022 04:30 AM EDT

snip

“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.

snip

[Freddie]

2. She isn't Dr. Oz

That’s her main selling point.
Proudly just voted for Fetterman.

[Amishman]

7. She doesn't need much more than that. Oz is pathetic

Though Fetterman should wipe the floor with either of them

[MineralMan]

3. Candidates like that could easily cause the demise of the Republican Party.

That's my guess. So, I'm not opposed to them running and winning in primaries. The more nuts there are in red hats, the better our chances of flipping seats, it seems to me. The more radical they are, the more I hope they'll win their primaries.

[ibegurpard]

4. There is no longer a bottom for Republicans

This kind of thinking is dangerous

[MineralMan]

5. Nevertheless, we have no control over who runs in GQP primaries.

So, if a relatively reasonable Republican wins the primary, that candidate will have a better chance in the general election than an obvious nutcase.

I know I'm playing odds here, but that's the only thing I can do. I have nothing whatsoever to do with any Republican race anywhere.

[NoRethugFriends]

8. Exactly! (nt)

[Torchlight]

6. Stories like this are why I avoid discounting a candidate

before an election is finalized-- as the guesswork of professional experts is still guesswork, they just have higher overhead for their guesswork; and long shots ignored by the establishment still win the Kentucky Derby.