PENNSYLVANIA — An “extreme anti-government group,” the Berks County Patriots, has become a popular destination for GOP gubernatorial candidates looking to prove their far-right credentials to Trump and the MAGA base, and now, five of the “Trump Primary” candidates are set to appear at their Candidates Night on Thursday.
According to the group’s website, Thursday’s event will feature five of the far-right candidates fighting with each other to become Pennsylvania’s next Governor. While it’s not yet known who the five candidates are, Dave White, Bill McSwain, Lou Barletta, Joe Gale, Nche Zama, and Charlie Gerow already completed the group’s questionnaire. Additionally, Dave White and Lou Barletta subjected themselves to the Berks County Patriots and other groups’ “vetting” process.
Despite the Berks County Patriots sending members to Washington D.C. on January 6 to “fight” for Trump and their association with the Berks County chapter of the Oath Keepers — “one of the largest anti-government extremist groups and militias in the country” — the group has become a regular stop for GOP candidates on the trail. Last month, Bill McSwain was set to become the seventh candidate to speak at their monthly meeting, but then seemingly backed out after Salon‘s reporting shed light on the far-right group and its ties to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
While the candidates rush to attend this extremist event, four campaigns issued a series of “diva-esque debate demands” designed to avoid debates with “mean questions.”
“The GOP candidates for Governor are once again hiding from tough questions and everyday Pennsylvanians, while pandering to the most fringe parts of their base,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “The GOP candidates will do whatever it takes to make it out of their ugly, historically crowded ‘Trump Primary,’ even if it means campaigning with a group that has attacked law enforcement and sowed instability in our democracy instead of fighting for Pennsylvania families.”
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