Not even political reporter Robert Costa’s teenage connections to Bucks County could get him into a Warminster weekend rally for GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette. Costa, a Pennsbury High School alum, was stopped at the door and told the public event was closed to media. Victor Fiorillo interviewed Costa about it for Philadelphia Magazine.

Costa, with CBS News, reportedly arrived at The Fuge, the Warminster event space onsite at the former U.S. Navy Johnsonville Centrifuge. He was attempting to enter the gathering when an unidentified person at the door told him to “…Hold up; don’t go any further.”

He was denied entry.

Later, he reflected on the ban, saying, “There’s a responsibility for the press to cover all candidates fairly and aggressively. And it’s the job of candidates to be as forthcoming as possible about how they will use their power, if elected.”

Barnette landed on Costa’s political radar in Feb. 2022. His interest in her story was attributable to her gain of traction against the higher-profile campaigns of Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick, businessman and politician from the Pittsburgh region.

Regardless of the election’s outcome, it underscores just how key the Keystone State has gotten in national politics.

“[Election results are] going to reveal a lot about where the country is,” said Costa. “…It’s a fascinating time in the churning waters of American politics, and Pennsylvania is right there as the story.”

More on candidate Kathy Barnette and her current election strategy regarding the press is at Philadelphia Magazine.