Politics & Government

PA GOP Senate Candidates Mum On Whether Biden Won 2020 Election

PA's Republican U.S. Senate candidates also are silent on whether they would have voted to certify the state's 2020 votes.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks from Statuary Hall to mark the one year anniversary of the January 6th Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. One year ago, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks from Statuary Hall to mark the one year anniversary of the January 6th Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2022 in Washington, DC. One year ago, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building. ( Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The five declared or presumed Republican candidates vying to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Pat Toomey were extremely quiet when asked if they believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. All were silent when asked if they would have voted to certify Pennsylvania's election results that propelled Biden to victory over former President Donald Trump.

The Philadelphia Inquirer unsuccessfully attempted to get those questions answered this week.

The only response came from Jeff Bartos, a Montgomery County real estate developer, who reiterated that Biden indeed prevailed over Trump in the election.

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Regarding whether they would have voted to uphold the will of Pennsylvania voters and certified the state's election results, none of the candidates responded.

The other GOP Senate candidates are celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz; Kathy Barnette, a conservative commentator and 2020 congressional nominee from Montgomery County and Carla Sands, the former U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Presumed to be entering the race soon is David McCormick, a hedge fund CEO who currently lives in Connecticut but plans to move to Pennsylvania.

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Toomey strongly opposed last year's failed attempt by some congressional Republicans to thwart the preference of Pennsylvania voters and toss out the state's presidential votes. He passionately defended the legitimacy of their votes on the Senate floor mere hours after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Toomey also wasn't afraid to acknowledge that Biden won the election.

Seven senators voted against accepting Pennsylvania's electoral results. In the House, eight of the nine Pennsylvania Republican representatives did so as well, the lone exception being Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Bucks County.

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