Sean Hannity has stepped into the Pennsylvania primaries.
Last night, he aired a segment on Kathy Barnette, who has skyrocketed into a statistical tie for first place.
Just a few weeks ago, Barnette was polling in the single digits.
But after a strong debate performance and after months of campaigning across the state, Barnette’s numbers are putting her within reach of winning the Pennsylvania primary next Tuesday.
Now, the Republican establishment wants to stop her.
And it appears that Hannity was called in to lead the charge.
Here’s the segment that Hannity aired last night:
Hannity attacks Kathy Barnette exactly like Megyn Kelly/Roger Ailes/Fox News attacked Trump @ the first debate— and Hannity remained silent and did not take on Kelly or Ailes or Murdoch https://t.co/plFytofExv https://t.co/syrimywebx
— y ahora soy el rey (@Juanalbertoles1) May 13, 2022
Now, let’s be frank:
Sean Hannity has the largest show on Fox News… which has the highest ratings in all of cable news.
He is a highly influential figure.
And he did not get into that place of power and influence without conviction.
However, this doesn’t mean that he’s perfect.
He’s human.
And humans make mistakes and have errors in judgment.
And that’s what some fans on social media are saying.
Sean Hannity is under fire on social media for his comments on Kathy Barnette.
See some of the posts below:
Just had @Kathy4Truth on. Going back to my local radio days I've exposed plenty of political frauds just with questioning. She should to be vetted like anyone else, but if she's a fraud like Hannity claims, she's the best I've ever seen. She came across as very real and sincere.
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) May 12, 2022
https://twitter.com/toddstarnes/status/1525127004739317769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1525127004739317769%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthelibertydaily.com%2Fdebunking-sean-hannitys-desperate-and-false-accusations-against-kathy-barnette%2F
Now Fox News personality Sean Hannity (who has endorsed Oz) attacking Kathy Barnette over her tweets where she expressed homophobic views https://t.co/iOXR84UULm
— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) May 12, 2022
If @SeanHannity wants to claim his show is “fair and balanced,” then bring me on, in-studio with @DrOz and let’s have a fair and balanced discussion.
I'm blocking out 9pm on Monday, just for you Sean.
Ratings will be huge! See you then.
— Kathy Barnette (@Kathy4Truth) May 12, 2022
Hannity is trying to get people cancelled over tweets. Incredible. https://t.co/ZaboaQgChM
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) May 13, 2022
There have been casualties in this Pennsylvania race.
Some conservatives have shown they're willing to use leftist campaign tactics to gaslight, manipulate, and outright lie if necessary to get a massive RINO nominated.
There's no going back for Hannity et al. We know them now.
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) May 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/Kathy4Truth/status/1525144521863995392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1525144521863995392%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthelibertydaily.com%2Fdebunking-sean-hannitys-desperate-and-false-accusations-against-kathy-barnette%2F
The segment was so controversial that even mainstream media is picking up on it.
According to The Independent:
Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Kathy Barnette is facing heat from influential Republicans — including Fox News host Sean Hannity — now that she’s surged to a front-runner position just days before the state’s primary.
GOP operatives backing celebrity talk show host Dr Mehmet Oz’s candidacy have circled the wagons and begun attacking Ms Barnette to try to hobble her ahead of the primary, NBC News reports.
The New York Times also confirms:
Kathy Barnette’s opposition to abortion could not be more personal.
Her mother was raped and gave birth to her at age 12. “It wasn’t a choice. It was a life. My life,” an emotional campaign video starts.
Ms. Barnette — a hard-right conservative locked in a seven-way Republican primary for an open Pennsylvania Senate seat — is suddenly surging in the polls, statistically tied for first place with two ultrarich men. And one of them has the lone thing more valuable than money or name recognition in a G.O.P. primary: a Trump endorsement.
As the election approaches on Tuesday, Ms. Barnette, 50, a Black mother of two who has never held office and whose life story has moved many white anti-abortion conservatives, poses a late threat to the two presumptive favorites, David McCormick, a retired hedge fund manager, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, a television celebrity endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump.
Ms. Barnette, who has publicly espoused homophobic and anti-Muslim views, has been propelled mainly by her strong debate performances and her rags-to-riches story. Not even the news on Thursday that Mr. Trump had questioned elements of her past and declared that only Dr. Oz could defeat Democrats in November seemed to bother her.
Despite all the controversy, the results of next Tuesday’s primary elections are up in the air.
It’s very unlikely that more polling will come out before the election.
Will Hannity’s hit piece have any impact on the race?
Or will Pennsylvanians vote for who they think is best for them and the country?
https://twitter.com/Kimberly__SRB/status/1524919092884422656
Hannity: Barnette isn't vetted! She won't answer questions!
Barnette: Ok have me on the show let's talk
Hannity: Due to the logistical difficulties of hosting and staffing out schedule is planned out far in…
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 13, 2022
Why is Sean Hannity ALL IN on Dr. Oz and hammering Kathy Barnette?
Why did TRUMP endorse Oz?
Do they know something we don't know or have they moved towards ESTABLISHMENT politics?
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) May 13, 2022
Hannity is playing games with Kathy Barnette.
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) May 13, 2022
Despite all of the attention, rivals are still claiming that Kathy Barnette is a “mystery person.”
Well… I have a question for all the other candidates…
This campaign has been going on for several months.
Barnette has personally been campaigning for over a year.
So why are these attacks just coming out now?
Why did no one look into her history weeks or months ago?
Could it be because they feel threatened by her sudden rise to the top of the polls?
The Daily Beast reports:
A concerned Sean Hannity on Wednesday reiterated his support for Mehmet Oz in the GOP Pennsylvania primary and later welcomed Oz on as a guest, amid recent polling indicating a three-way race with a soaring Kathy Barnette.
After Hannity presented a Fox News poll conducted earlier this month that showed Oz at 22 percent, David McCormick at 20 percent, and Barnette at 19 percent, the Fox host admitted, “I like Kathy.”
“But the problem is,” he explained, “we’re now looking at what is a must-hold Republican Senate seat if the Republicans ever want to take the majority in the U.S. Senate.” Hannity then listed a series of elements of Barnette’s past that he deemed troubling, one of which was a January 2016 tweet in which she called then-President Barack Obama a “Muslim.”
“With six days left in this campaign, there are serious, real, open questions” about Barnette, Hannity said.
As for Oz, Hannity said, “I see him by far as the Republican candidate in this primary that will win the general election.”
With that, Hannity welcomed on Oz—whom the Fox host and former President Donald Trump have endorsed—to restate his case to Pennsylvania voters, who will head to the polls next Tuesday.
“I concur with your diagnosis. She is a mystery,” Oz said of Barnette. The controversial celebrity doctor then repeated many of the arguments that Hannity had just made, including his electability in the general election and how Barnette lost a 2020 House race in a district near Philadelphia.
If you live in Pennsylvania, let us know your thoughts!
Are you voting for Barnette?
Why or why not?
And do you agree with Sean Hannity’s assessment that she can’t win a general election?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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