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Kathy Barnette
Barnette in 2024
Personal details
Born
Kathy Jean Barnette

(1971-09-06) September 6, 1971 (age 53)
Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCarl[1]
Children2
Education
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
RankSpecialist[1]
UnitUnited States Army Reserve
National Guard

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]

Early life

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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.[4][5] 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.[5][6]

She received an undergraduate degree in finance from Troy State University, and an M.B.A. from Fontbonne University.[7] Barnette served seven years in the United States Army Reserve and United States National Guard.[1][5]

Professional career

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Barnette worked as a corporate financial analyst.[6][8][9] Barnette's entry into political commentary began with political videos on Facebook. The videos led her to becoming an occasional guest on Fox & Friends. She also became a regular commentator on Philadelphia conservative radio.[6] Barnette has made frequent appearances on One America News Network and Newsmax as well.[5]

Political career

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Barnette entered politics by running for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district in the 2020 election. She was unopposed in the Republican primary.[5] She lost the general election to incumbent Madeleine Dean and initially 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][5][10][11][12]

Barnette in 2019

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.[13]

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."[5]

Barnette announced she would run to fill retiring Senator Pat Toomey's seat in early April 2021, and received endorsements from Michael Flynn and Sebastian Gorka.[3][5][14][15] She raised about $600,000 by June 30, 2021, more than Sean Parnell or Jeff Bartos, the front runners at the time.[5] She surged in the polls in late March 2022 and started receiving significant attention from news outlets in May.[1][4][9][11]

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".[16]

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.[17]

Barnette finished third in the 2022 primary, behind Mehmet Oz and David McCormick, a loss she blamed on comments made by Fox News host Sean Hannity.[18][19] In October 2022, she stated that she would vote for Oz in the election, but declined to endorse him.[20]

Barnette announced she would not run for the Senate again in 2024.[21][22][23] As of 2023, she was involved in Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential campaign.[24]

Political positions

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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."[25]

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][5][6][26]

Electoral history

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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[27]
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

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Barnette is married to Carl, and has two children.[1][8] She stated that she has been a Christian since she was about 19 years old.[7]

Published works

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Tully, Tracey (May 13, 2022). "In Pennsylvania, a Hard-Right Candidate's Star Rises". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "2020 Presidential Election - Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b WFMZ-TV (April 7, 2021). "Kathy Barnette enters race for US Senate in Pennsylvania". WFMZ.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Merica, Dan; Orr, Gabby (May 13, 2022). "Barnette's quick rise has Republicans reeling over potential upset and what it could mean for November". CNN. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Seidman, Andrew (July 26, 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 July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Burnley, Malcolm (October 31, 2020). "The Loneliness of the Black Female Republican". POLITICO. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Kassal, Matthew (May 16, 2022). "Kathy Barnette presents a different side". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Bio". Kathy Barnette. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Mayorquin, Orlando (May 13, 2022). "Who is Kathy Barnette? The GOP candidate surging late in Pennsylvania Senate race". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Heinze, Justin (November 4, 2020). "Barnette Doesn't Concede To Dean: 'The Enemy Will Be Thwarted'". Abington, PA Patch. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Doherty, Erin (May 12, 2022). "What to know about the GOP Senate candidate who Trump has warned against". Axios. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Ullery, Chris (November 5, 2020). "Barnette withdraws lawsuit against Montgomery County election officials". Bucks County Courier Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  14. ^ Barnette, Kathy (April 5, 2021). "Kathy Barnette for US Senate - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Gorka, Sebastian (April 6, 2021). "Sebastian Gorka Tweet". Twitter. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021.
  16. ^
  17. ^
  18. ^ Itkowitz, Colby (May 18, 2022). "Trump urges Oz to 'declare victory' before vote tally complete in Pa". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  19. ^ Lonas, Lexi (May 18, 2022). "Barnette blames Sean Hannity for loss in Pennsylvania". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  20. ^ Brennan, Chris (October 14, 2022). "Kathy Barnette slams GOP 'elites,' calls Mehmet Oz 'lesser of two evils,' will vote for him". Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022.
  21. ^ Lippman, Daniel; Otterbein, Holly (March 15, 2023). "MAGA favorite Kathy Barnette says she won't run again for Senate". Politico. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Stockburger, George (March 15, 2023). "Kathy Barnette not running for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat: Report". abc27. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  23. ^ King, Ryan (March 15, 2023). "Kathy Barnette bows out of 2024 Pennsylvania Senate consideration: 'I am not interested'". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  24. ^ Catanese, David (August 11, 2023). "'We should talk.' How Kathy Barnette came to advise Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential campaign". McClatchy DC. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Vasoli, Bradley (May 12, 2022). "Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Barnette's Wikipedia Article Pulled". The Tennessee Star. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  26. ^ Alter, Charlotte (May 16, 2022). "Kathy Barnette Is the Trumpiest Candidate Who Wasn't Endorsed by Trump". Time. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  27. ^ "Pennsylvania Primary Election Results". New York Times. June 3, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
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