Republican Senate candidates split on key issues but stress why they should be the nominee
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The race for the Republican nomination for U.S. senator continues to heat up with latest polls showing a three-way tie among eight candidates on the ballot.
KDKA political editor Jon Delano asked the candidates what they see as the most important issue and why they stand out above the others.
On Tuesday, Republican voters will sort through a lot of names for U.S. Senate with polls showing Mehmet Oz, Dave McCormick and Kathy Barnette in a statistical tie, and Jeff Bartos, Carla Sands, Sean Gale and George Bochetto trailing.
What tops the list of important issues?
McCormick cites inflation and energy but adds, "The rise of really weak leadership and wokeness across our institutions is really chipping away at the American dream that we all love."
Barnette, Bartos, and Sands zero in on inflation, while Gale notes election integrity and Bochetto cites law and order.
"People are very unnerved about what's going on at their kitchen table, being able to feed their family, gas prices," says Barnette.
"Inflation is absolutely killing working families. It's killing small businesses," says Bartos.
"The most important issue is the well-being of the people of Pennsylvania -- that there's opportunity, but also that we can afford to live," notes Sands.
"By far, the number one issue I hear about as I travel around the state is election integrity," says Gale.
"It's got to be law enforcement, and the rule of law," says Bochetto.
As to why Republican voters should pick them, McCormick and Sands cite experience, while Barnette says she's the only authentic conservative.
"I am an America First conservative Republican," says Barnette.
"Battle-tested, someone who's served in combat, who's run companies, someone who's served at the highest levels of government," says McCormick.
"I'm the only one that has actually worked on the issues whether it's the security issues, our national security, the trade issues, the foreign policy issues," says Sands.
Bartos, Gale and Bochetto emphasize their deep roots in this state.
"I have lived here and loved this commonwealth my whole life and with every fiber of my being," says Bartos.
"Half the candidates in my race aren't even from Pennsylvania, so I know who I'm going to represent and that really separates me from the rest," says Gale.
"I don't have to reinvent where I live. I don't have to reinvent what my position is on abortion or gun control," says Bochetto.
All the Republican candidates took part in these interviews, except for Mehmet Oz, who declined.