PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Four Republicans seeking the nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania took the stage in Erie Wednesday morning for a forum that was mostly spent beating up on the Biden administration and left-wing, liberal ideals.
But during the closing portion of the debate, where candidates were instructed to explain why people should vote for them, candidates Jeff Bartos and Kathy Barnette performed a good-cop, bad-cop routine, attacking frontrunners Mehmet Oz and David McCormick.
As Oz opened his statement, Barnette interrupted, questioning his conservative credentials and criticizing him for skipping debates.
When the moderator asked Barnette to “please stop,” she said, “I would not have to go scorched-earth if they would show up for a debate.”
“I have earned my place on this stage,” she continued, “and I will not be told what I can and cannot say.”
After Oz and McCormick spoke, playing up their connections to Pennsylvania, Bartos thanked Barnette and gave an explanation for what he calls the frustration and passion that was on display.
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“When we look to our televisions and see people, as I’ve been calling them, political tourists — and it’s no disrespect to the people up here, but they come in and they’re spending tens of millions of dollars on television, and we’ve been on the road, grassroots,” he said. “For me, for five years, visiting all 67 counties multiple times.”
Oz argued he’s the best candidate, as Pennsylvania is too important to send a back-bencher to Washington. McCormick said the same of himself, noting the stakes are too high to pick someone who needs “on-the-job training.”
McCormick went after Oz too, accusing him of being anti-fracking on “The Dr. Oz Show.”
“You’ve argued for a moratorium in Pennsylvania like that’s in New York,” he said, which Oz denied. “You’ve been running those ads over and over again, claiming things you know are dishonest.”
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Bartos concluded the forum with: “They’re fighting each other and they’re fighting for a Senate seat. I’m fighting for you.”
Barnette took a punchier approach as to what makes her the best candidate: “I believe Republicans must be something more than just a speed bump on the way toward communism.”