Doug Mastriano speaks to his supporters in Wilkes-Barre. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
Kathy Barnette after speaking during a Republican leadership forum on May 11, 2022 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
MAGA Doug Mastriano and Kathy Barnette both look poised to win, in what one GOP former congressman calls “a double-nightmare scenario.”
A pair of fringe conspiracy theorists have seized the momentum to be the Republican Party’s nominees for governor and senator in Pennsylvania—a prospect that’s alarming to Republicans who think they’ll lose the general election, and even more concerning for democracy if they win it in the nation’s largest swing state.
Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial front-runner Doug Mastriano and surging GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette have a lot in common.
They both made their names in politics by pushing wild conspiracy theories, including unfounded claims that Democrats rigged the 2020 election.
They were both in Washington during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
And they both have strong chances to win their primaries on Tuesday.
“We have a double-nightmare scenario where two fringe candidates could emerge as the nominees. A lot of the party leadership is in full panic mode,” one Republican former congressman told VICE News.
Mastriano, a state senator, is the clear front-runner to be Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial nominee, with a double-digit lead over his nearest opponents in a crowded field....
“When companies use kickbacks to influence prescribing, they erode trust in healthcare providers,” said special agent Helsing. Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A. Inc has agreed to $13,670,921 amid alle...