Keystone Politics
Next Tuesday is the Pennsylvania primary, with some interesting races that have gotten national attention.
Many characterized the Republican race for U.S. Senate as a fight between former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick…but not so fast.
Oz received President Trump’s endorsement and holds a statistically insignificant lead in the polls. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared at an event for McCormick not long ago, not the first high-profile Senate race where Cruz and Trump were on different sides.
But there are actually seven candidates…one is a former ambassador in the Trump administration…one has a brother who is running for governor in the same election…and another is in a dead heat in polling with Oz for the top spot. She is Kathy Barnette, labeled by some as an “ultra MAGA” candidate–that apparently seems to be the new phrase of choice by some Democrats, including the current president, and many in the media.
Barnette is black, a veteran, and a married mother of two who for a time home schooled her children. She also is an author and has appeared as a television commentator. If it weren’t for the celebrity status of one candidate and the funding held by another, she’d be getting a lot more attention nationally…but polling suggest those in Pennsylvania are indeed taking notice, and after all…they’re the ones who vote.
Interesting race for governor there, too…if for no other reason than the governor appoints the secretary of state in Pennsylvania, and as we all know, that’s the office that controls elections. And, as we all know, Pennsylvania had some issues two years ago on that front.
Tuesday nights are heating up, with Pennsylvania next week, Georgia the week following, and our state of Iowa two weeks after that.
