With an outstanding endorsement record of 58-1 this primary season, Donald Trump continues to prove he’s got the “Midas Touch” when it comes to backing his candidates. He went 33-0 in Texas, 22-0 in Ohio and Indiana, and 3-1 this week in Nebraska, W. Virginia.
Gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster (R-NE) was Trump’s first loss, and to be honest, I was very concerned with this race as Herbster faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct heading into the Gubernatorial primary.
But what’s done is done, and all eyes are on Pennslyvania now. With the PA Primary in just a few days, everyone wants to know who are the Trump-backed candidates?! And what chances does Trump have of going undefeated in the Keystone State?
Who Is Trump Endorsing In The Pennsylvania Primary?
CONGRESS:
According to ABC27.com, the former President officially endorsed Congressmen Mike Kelly (PA-16), Scott Perry (PA-10), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), and Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) during a 20-minute set of press releases on social media and email.
Trump said each of the candidates has his “complete and total endorsement” going into the primary.
All four of the candidates are running unopposed in the primary, according to the Commonwealth’s Secretary of State’s election database.
GOVERNOR:
The former President has yet to endorse a candidate in the Republican primary for Governor with four candidates polling in the double digits.
STATE SENATE:
The big showdown between Trump-backed Dr. Oz and rising star Kathy Barnette is going to be the nation’s headliner for sure during the Pennslyvania Primary to be held on May 17th. No doubt, Trump and Co. are going to do everything they can to get their boy Oz into the general election. Trump is already ramping up efforts to knock out Kathy early in order to put this one to bed before she becomes a real threat.
But why are Trump and Co. so gung ho on Dr. Oz regardless of the fact that most Pennsylvanians have warned to steer clear of the non-resident celebrity, and who the heck is this up and coming Kathy Barnette?
Kathy J. Barnette served in the Alabama Army National Guard from September 1993 to March 1998. Her primary military occupational specialty was 63S, Heavy-Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic, and she attained the rank of specialist. Her last unit with the ARNG was the 778th Maintenance Company, Alabama Army National Guard. There is no doubt Kathy Barnette is a true patriot who has served her country well.
Kathy J. Barnette also served in the Army Reserve as a Human Resource Specialist (71L/42A) from 1998 to 2000.
What’s not to love about her? Well, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a lot!
As reported by Axios – In Barnette, who’s been soaring in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would be dealing with a general election candidate who’d be an opposition researcher’s dream — potentially endangering the GOP effort to take back the Senate.
- McConnell has been fixated on ensuring the 2022 midterms are not a repeat of the 2012 or 2010 cycles.
- The Kentuckian said Republicans missed good chances to win the majority in those years because they nominated candidates who talked about things like “legitimate rape” or had to publicly assure voters they weren’t witches.
- Barnette’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barnette has surged after releasing a powerful video — “It wasn’t a choice. It was a life.” — in which she movingly talks about how her mother was raped when she was 11 and yet Barnette is the living, breathing byproduct of that horrific circumstance.
- The video’s hit a nerve with primary voters in Pennsylvania, a source close to one of Barnette’s rivals told Axios and gained resonance following the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Barnette is also the uncommon Black Republican candidate.
At the same time, a cursory review of her Twitter account, @Kathy4Truth, turned up tweets like this one: “Just confronted a Muslim today.”
- She joins Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens — whose alleged misdeeds are numerous and graphic — on a list of potential Republican Senate nominees giving heartburn to GOP leadership.
- They not only create the potential of blowing winnable seats but being unmanageable for McConnell should he return as Senate majority leader next year.
But it’s not just the Trump/Oz camp that is gunning hard for the Pennsylvanian rising star. Media personalities and others have jumped on the Barnette bashing bandwagon, including Sean Hannity and Republican candidate Dave McCormick who is also in the race to challenge Barnette and Oz.
Out of all the primaries ahead on May 17, Pennslyvania is certainly going to be the big one that most Americans and MAGA fans will be tuning into.
