- GOP candidate Kathy Barnette reportedly marched alongside a member of the Proud Boys on January 6.
- Her team told NBC she has no connection to the group and didn't engage in violence at the Capitol.
- Several members of the Proud Boys, a hate group, have faced prosecution following Jan. 6.
Pennsylvania GOP Senate Kathy Barnette marched alongside a member of the Proud Boys on January 6, 2021, according to an NBC News report.
Barnette's attendance at the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the Capitol siege was previously known, but the report illustrates the extent of her activity in Washington before the insurrection. NBC News reports that there is no evidence that Barnette breached the Capitol or engaged in violence.
Barnette is surging in the polls in the closing days of Pennsylvania's closely watched primary that will be held on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump and his allies have sought to raise concerns about Barnette's chances of winning a general election that could decide the US Senate majority. Trump's pick, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has spent months in an increasingly personal clash with former hedge fund manager David McCormick, potentially opening the door to a third option like Barnette.
—Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) May 16, 2022
In a statement to NBC, Barnette's campaign distanced her from the Proud Boys. A fringe, far-right group, federal prosecutors have alleged that multiple members of the hate group conspired to obstruct Congress from formally declaring Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
"Kathy was in DC to support President Trump and demand election accountability," Barnette's campaign said in a statement. "Any assertion that she participated in or supported the destruction of property is intentionally false. She has no connection whatsoever to the proud boys."
The Barnette campaign did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
Barnette's presence at the "Stop the Steal' rally highlights the hold that Trump's election lies have on the GOP. She and state-Sen. Doug Mastriano, the frontrunner in the Republican Party's gubernatorial race, were both in Washington and attended the rally on January 6.
They are among the more than 30 people who attended the rally who are running for office this November, CBS News previously reported. Just last week, one of those candidates, businessman Charles Herbster, lost his chance at becoming Nebraska's next governor.
Barnette and Mastriano have been running as an unofficial ticket in the Republican primaries.
Both candidates have also barred the press from their public events, often with those blocking media access declining to identify themselves as members of the campaign or security.