Kathy Barnette
Barnette in 2019
Born
Kathy Jean Barnette

(1971-09-06) September 6, 1971
Alabama, U.S.
Education
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCarl[1]
Children2
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Reserve
National Guard
RankSpecialist[1]

Kathy Jean Barnette (born September 6, 1971) is an American politician and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, she ran for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district in 2020,[2] and unsuccessfully sought the party's nomination in the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.[3] She has espoused homophobic and Islamophobic views, and has promoted conspiracy theories.[1][4][5][6]

Early life

Barnette's mother was raped at the age of 11 by a 21-year-old man. Her mother became pregnant as a result of the rape, which led to Barnette's birth on September 6, 1971, in Alabama.[7][8] She was raised by her mother on a pig farm in the south of the state, in a house where her great-great-great-grandmother, who was born a slave, formerly lived.[8][9]

She received an undergraduate degree in finance from Troy State University, and an M.B.A. from Fontbonne University.[10] Barnette served seven years in the United States Army Reserve and United States National Guard.[1][8]

Professional career

Barnette worked as a corporate financial analyst for many years.[9][11][12] Barnette's entry into political commentary began with political videos on Facebook. The videos led her to becoming an irregular guest on Fox & Friends. She also became a regular commentator on Philadelphia conservative radio.[9] Barnette has made frequent appearances on One America News Network and Newsmax as well.[8]

Political career

Barnette entered politics by running for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district in the 2020 election. She was unopposed in the Republican primary.[8] She lost the general election to incumbent Madeleine Dean and refused to concede, while later saying she had accepted the results of the election, Barnette continued to raise doubts about her own election and the wider 2020 presidential election.[2][8][13][14][15]

Barnette speaking at an event in January 2024

On Election Day, Barnette filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County election officials claiming that the county violated state laws on pre-canvassing ballots prior to the opening of polls by notifying voters of potential problems with their mail-in ballots. Her attorneys then withdrew the lawsuit.[16]

Barnette had a close relationship with My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell for a time. Lindell said of Barnette in June 2021, "She is just an amazing person" and "I never heard of anyone being so tenacious."[8]

Barnette announced she would run to fill retiring Senator Pat Toomey's seat in early April 2021, and received some high-profile endorsements from Michael Flynn and Sebastian Gorka.[3][8][17][18] She raised about $600,000 by June 30, 2021, more than Sean Parnell or Jeff Bartos, the major candidates at the time.[8] She surged in the polls in late March 2022 and started receiving major attention from news outlets in May.[1][7][12][14]

Barnette began to receive scrutiny over past tweets she had made, including some spreading the conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim, and others that have been described as homophobic and Islamophobic. In a 2015 YouTube video, Barnette said that it is okay to discriminate against Muslims and compared rejecting Islam to "rejecting Hitler's or Stalin's worldviews." In comments on her radio show, she said that accepting homosexuality would lead to accepting pedophilia and incest. In one post, she called a transgender person "deformed" and "demonic."[4][5][6][1][19][20][21][22]

On May 15, 2022, images surfaced showing that Barnette had participated in the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol insurrection; though her campaign has denied participating in any acts of violence, she has stated that she "brought" three buses of "pissed off patriots" to the rally.[8][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Barnette came third in the 2022 primary, behind Mehmet Oz and David McCormick, a loss she blamed on comments made by Fox News host Sean Hannity.[29][30] In October 2022, she stated that she would vote for Oz in the election, but declined to endorse him.[31]

Barnette has announced she will not run for the Senate again in 2024.[32][33][34]

Political positions

According to The Tennessee Star, in 2022 Barnette ran "on a platform emphasizing free-market health care, border security, school choice, domestic energy production, tax reform, and protection of the unborn."[35]

Barnette is opposed to abortion, including in cases of rape and incest, citing her own life as "the product of a rape" as inspiration.[1][8][9][26]

Electoral history

Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, 2020[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Madeleine Dean (incumbent) 264,637 59.5
Republican Kathy Barnette 179,926 40.5
Total votes 444,563 100.0
Democratic hold
Republican Senate primary results, 2022[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mehmet Oz 419,662 31.2
Republican David McCormick 418,690 31.1
Republican Kathy Barnette 331,584 24.7
Republican Carla Sands 73,269 5.4
Republican Jeff Bartos 66,563 5.0
Republican Sean Gale 20,226 1.5
Republican George Bochetto 14,462 1.1
Total votes 1,344,456 100.0

Personal life

Barnette is married to Carl, and has two children.[1][11] She stated that she has been a Christian since she was about 19 years old.[10]

Published works

  • (2020). Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America. Center Street. ISBN 978-1546085751

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tully, Tracey (13 May 2022). "In Pennsylvania, a Hard-Right Candidate's Star Rises". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "2020 Presidential Election - Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 WFMZ-TV (7 April 2021). "Kathy Barnette enters race for US Senate in Pennsylvania". WFMZ.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 Kaczynski, Andrew; Steck, Em (13 May 2022). "Surging GOP candidate Kathy Barnette has long history of bigoted statements against gays and Muslims". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 Garcia, Eric (17 May 2022). "Who is Kathy Barnette, the Black woman running for Pennsylvania Senate?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 Newell, Jim (14 May 2022). "The New "Ultra-MAGA" Contender in Pennsylvania's Senate Primary". Slate. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 Merica, Dan; Orr, Gabby (13 May 2022). "Barnette's quick rise has Republicans reeling over potential upset and what it could mean for November". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Seidman, Andrew (26 July 2021). "Inside a hunt for voter fraud on Philly's Main Line and the conspiracy world that embraced it". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Burnley, Malcolm (31 October 2020). "The Loneliness of the Black Female Republican". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 Kassal, Matthew (16 May 2022). "Kathy Barnette presents a different side". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Bio". Kathy Barnette. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. 1 2 Mayorquin, Orlando (13 May 2022). "Who is Kathy Barnette? The GOP candidate surging late in Pennsylvania Senate race". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Heinze, Justin (4 November 2020). "Barnette Doesn't Concede To Dean: 'The Enemy Will Be Thwarted'". Abington, PA Patch. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 Doherty, Erin (12 May 2022). "What to know about the GOP Senate candidate who Trump has warned against". Axios. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  15. ↑ Dennis Owens, Lisa Sylvester, Jeff Bartos, Mehmet Oz, David McCormick, Kathy Barnette, Carla Sands (April 25, 2022). Pennsylvania Republican Primary Senate Debate. WHTM-TV. Event occurs at 26:04-26:43, 33:02-33:39, 34:52-35:16. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  16. ↑ Ullery, Chris (5 November 2020). "Barnette withdraws lawsuit against Montgomery County election officials". Bucks County Courier Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  17. ↑ Barnette, Kathy (5 April 2021). "Kathy Barnette for US Senate - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ↑ Gorka, Sebastian (6 April 2021). "Sebastian Gorka Tweet". Twitter. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Walsh, Sean Collins (15 May 2022). "Kathy Barnette says tweets under scrutiny in Pa. Senate race were 'not even full thoughts'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  20. ↑ Paybarah, Azi (2022-05-15). "Kathy Barnette Says She 'Can't Provide a Lot of Context' for Her Anti-Islamic Tweets". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  21. ↑ "Kathy Barnette on past Islamophobic tweets: 'I would never have said that'". MSNBC.com. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  22. ↑ Joseph, Cameron (16 May 2022). "Conspiracy Theorists Are on the Cusp of Sweeping Pennsylvania's GOP Primaries". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck (16 May 2022). "Barnette said she was leading buses to DC for 'our 1776 moment' on January 6, 2021". CNN. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  24. ↑ Wilson, Christopher (16 May 2022). "Photos show GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette marching with Proud Boys on Jan. 6". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  25. ↑ Ax, Joseph (16 May 2022). "Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Barnette marched alongside Proud Boys on Jan. 6, report says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  26. 1 2 Alter, Charlotte (16 May 2022). "Kathy Barnette Is the Trumpiest Candidate Who Wasn't Endorsed by Trump". Time. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  27. ↑ Metzger, Bryan (16 May 2022). "GOP congressman who's been subpoenaed by the January 6 committee is backing Kathy Barnette, a PA Senate candidate who marched with Proud Boys in DC". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  28. ↑ "Kathy Barnette shakes up US Senate race on back of abortion debate". Financial Times. 15 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  29. ↑ Itkowitz, Colby (18 May 2022). "Trump urges Oz to 'declare victory' before vote tally complete in Pa". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  30. ↑ Lonas, Lexi (18 May 2022). "Barnette blames Sean Hannity for loss in Pennsylvania". The Hill. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  31. ↑ Brennan, Chris (14 October 2022). "Kathy Barnette slams GOP 'elites,' calls Mehmet Oz 'lesser of two evils,' will vote for him". Inquirer. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022.
  32. ↑ Lippman, Daniel; Otterbein, Holly (15 March 2023). "MAGA favorite Kathy Barnette says she won't run again for Senate". Politico. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  33. ↑ Stockburger, George (15 March 2023). "Kathy Barnette not running for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat: Report". abc27. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  34. ↑ King, Ryan (15 March 2023). "Kathy Barnette bows out of 2024 Pennsylvania Senate consideration: 'I am not interested'". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  35. ↑ Vasoli, Bradley (12 May 2022). "Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Barnette's Wikipedia Article Pulled". The Tennessee Star. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  36. ↑ "Pennsylvania Primary Election Results". New York Times. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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