HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s primary elections will be held on Tuesday, May 17.
According to the latest RealClearPolitics poll, five candidates—two Democrats and three Republicans—are polling above 10%.
The frontrunning Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.).
The frontrunning Republican candidates are celebrity TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, hedge fund manager David McCormick and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette.
Here are their stances on five major issues:
Economy
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) wants to reduce government regulation.
- Kathy Barnette (R) wants to limit the power of the federal reserve and create a business-friendly tax code.
- David McCormick (R) wants to lower taxes on the working class and reduce government regulation.
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is pro-union and supports raising the minimum wage. He has previously said in a debate, “Making sure our minimum wage is something you can live on with dignity and security.”
- Rep. Conor Lamb (D) is pro-union and supports raising the minimum wage.
Education
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) wants to "fundamentally change the way we approach education in this country."
- Kathy Barnette (R) believes in school choice and would ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools.
- David McCormick (R) wants to fight school “wokeness.”
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) wants equality in education.
- Rep. Conor Lamb (D) wants free universal preschool and two years of community college, as well as LGBTQ protections in schools and elsewhere. He has previously said in a debate, "[Republicans] are going after children, kids who may have questions that might seem unusual to a lot of families, but they have them. If that's your kid and you're their parent, you want to make sure you get those questions answered by people who know what they're talking about.”
Energy/climate
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) believes in energy independence through coal and natural gas production in Pennsylvania.
- Kathy Barnette (R) believes in energy independence from foreign countries.
- David McCormick (R) believes in energy independence through coal and natural gas production. He has previously said in a debate, "The first thing we need to do is unlock our energy sector. That was a terrible decision that’s driving up the price of fuel, that’s driving inflation."
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) wants to invest in more renewable energy, with a focus on climate justice. He doesn’t support a ban on fracking, but wants to transition away from it.
- Rep. Conor Lamb (D) wants to emit zero greenhouse gases by 2050 and wants to invest in carbon and methane capture. He doesn’t support a ban on fracking.
Guns
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) is against additional gun relations and red-flag laws, gun control laws that permits police or family members to petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves.
- Kathy Barnette (R) supports gun ownership rights and would support legislation that creates reciprocity for concealed carry permits nationwide. She has previously said in a debate, “Right now we have over 300,000 laws on the books regulating the 2nd Amendment. So are we trying to say that 300 and one more law is going to do the trick? I don’t think so.”
- David McCormick (R) supports gun ownership rights.
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) has said he wants to reduce gun violence.
- Rep. Conor Lamb (D) supports universal background checks and reducing gun violence.
Abortion
- Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) would ban abortion except in cases that the mother’s health is at risk. He has previously said in a debate, “There should be an exception for the life of the mother. We don't want mothers dying as they try to give birth to a child.”
- Kathy Barnette (R) would promote alternatives to abortion and does not believe taxpayer dollars should be used to fund abortions.
- David McCormick (R) would ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s health is at risk.
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) supports abortion rights and would vote for a national law protecting abortion rights.
- Rep. Conor Lamb (D) supports abortion rights and would vote for a national law protecting abortion rights.