The Pennsylvania Republican Senate primaries remain tight, and candidates are watching the race closely from their respective election night party venues.
The mood at Kathy Barnette HQ’s election night was upbeat.
The candidate himself arrived about 10 minutes before the polls closed to thank and greet the voters.
Nearly two hours later, she was still at her party, posing for photos. At one point, she ditched her heels and joined a group of about a dozen, mostly young adults, performing a dance to the tune of “Cotton Eye Joe.”
Before that, she danced with them to “Macarena”, performing the classic moves from the old song.
Her campaign manager Bob Gillies told CNN’s Athena Jones earlier that Barnette’s plan was to go somewhere else to see the returns. But she’s been coming, staying, and never leaving since 9:50 p.m. ET. The same goes for the crowd, which hasn’t diminished even as Barnette falls further behind in early returns.
At 9:53 p.m. ET or so, the music at Barnette HQ was turned off here and at least two dozen people gathered in a closed prayer circle around Barnette.
Meanwhile, supporters of Dr Mehmet Oz are settling in for a long night at the Newtown Athletic Club, where the campaign is hosting an election night party. Aides said Oz was watching the returns with his family, as about three dozen friends and allies gathered around a small ballroom.
No speakers and no music, just Fox News primetime programming amplified across the room.
A single podium with the red “Oz” sign was placed on the stage at the front of the room. Candidates will not appear until the results are known.
After briefly dropping by his election night party, David McCormick is gathering with his wife, Dina Powell, and top advisers behind closed doors to see the results.
Meanwhile, the guests at the party were in high spirits, cheering every time the TV updated the numbers showing that McCormick was still in the lead.
