Republicans to meet for live, prime-time Senate race debate

On Apr 25, 2022

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat will meet Monday night for their first live-televised prime-time debate. It’s an increasingly expensive primary race that features a candidate newly endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Trump earlier this month endorsed Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as daytime TV’s host of “The Dr. Oz Show.” Oz will appear alongside four others at the studio of WHTM-TV in Harrisburg for the one-hour debate.

They are: conservative activist Kathy Barnette; real estate investor Jeff Bartos; ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick; and Carla Sands, Trump’s ambassador to Denmark.

All five met the polling threshold set by the station’s parent company as they vie for the nomination to succeed retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in the presidential battleground state.

The campaign is one of this year’s premier Senate contests, with carpetbaggery a prominent and persistent issue following the recent arrival of three wealthy and well-connected candidates from other states — McCormick, Oz and Sands.

The race is also an expensive duel between McCormick and Oz, who combined — with super PACs that support them — have reported spending more than $37 million.

The primary election is May 17.

The debate begins at 8 p.m. and is to be televised on stations in Pennsylvania’s six media markets, as well as stations in Youngstown, Ohio, and Elmira and Buffalo, New York, New York City and Washington.