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Sands Launches 2022 Senate Bid

A former Ambassador who served during President Donald Trump’s administration is running for U.S. Senate in 2022. 

After launching an exploratory committee a couple of months ago and filing a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission last week, Carla Sands, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, announced her entrance into the GOP race on Monday morning. 

Sands released a 2 minute plus long video announcement video that touted her family’s roots in Cumberland County, work in Trump’s administration, and career prior to serving as U.S. Ambassador to Denmark. 

“Government and career politicians aren’t serving the people,” Sands said. “The radical left isn’t looking out for you.”

“That’s why I’m stepping up,” she continued. 

“Every child should have access to an outstanding education, that’s why I will stand up to woke culture, censorship, and critical race theory,” Sands said. “Farmers and energy workers are the backbone of our commonwealth’s economy. I will put Pennsylvania jobs first.”

“And from government spending to our elections, integrity matters,” she continued. “I will stand up to corruption everywhere.”

“This is our commonwealth, this is our home,” Sands said. “I will never give up, I will never stop fighting for you.”

Sands ended the video by saying it’s time to put “Pennsylvania first,” which echoes the message Trump used during his campaign for the White House and a message she also shared during the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference last month. 

In addition to serving as Trump’s ambassador to Denmark, Sands was also appointed to Trump’s Economic Advisory Council and supported his campaign in 2016. 

Prior to serving in Trump’s administration, Sands was the Chairman & CEO of Vintage Capital Group. She took over in that role after her husband Fred Sands, who founded the company, died in 2015. 

Sands also previously had a career in TV and movies and was the third generation in her family to practice chiropractic medicine. 

The AP reports that while Sands grew up in Cumberland County, she “spent much of her adult life living in California.”

Sands joins a crowded field of Democratic and Republicans candidates seeking to succeed outgoing GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. 

Kathy Barnette, a veteran and conservative commentator who was the GOP nominee for Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District in 2020; Jeff Bartos, a Montgomery County real estate developer who was the GOP Lt. Governor nominee in 2018; Sean Gale, an attorney; Sean Parnell, a combat veteran and author who was the GOP nominee for the 17th Congressional District in 2020; Everett Stern, a businessman and HSBC whistleblower, have all formally declared their intentions for the GOP nomination. 

According to the FEC, Craig Snyder, a business consultant, James Edward Hayes, John Debellis, Martin Rosenfeld, and Robert Jeffries have also filed statements of candidacy. 

The Democratic primary field already includes Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), former Norristown Borough Council President John McGuigan, and Dr. Kevin Baumlin. State Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission for U.S. Senate and formally announced his exploratory committee in April. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) is weighing a run for U.S. Senate in 2022. 

According to the FEC website, Brandaun Dean, Larry Johnson, Alexandria Khalil, Kyle Norton, Eric Orts, Alan Shank, and Llewellyn Tapera have also filed statements of candidacy for the Democratic primary.

18 Responses

  1. I heard Carla Sands speak to Chris Stigall back on July 7, and she was pretty convincing. With her joining the race, Jeff Bartos’s chances of winning are shot dead.

  2. I think all these comments on this page, as opposed to some of the others, show you Sands is being taken seriously. It will come down to her and Parnell. Bartos will be an afterthought because he is such a weak personal candidate with no charisma or likability.

  3. Bartos is the worst – a total squish, when we need real conservatives, and a known loser who couldn’t win the senate primary last time so he ran with Wagner and lost that. Sands seems like a pretty good option, but I’ll keep my powder dry for now.

  4. She is an okay candidate but she doesn’t hold a candle to Jeff Bartos!

  5. Maybe Bartos should switch and run for Governor. She is going to do well in the Philly suburbs and with women, that had to be the bartos plan.

  6. So she slept her way to the top. Married an old rich white guy, who croaked and she became CEO. LOL. What a resume.

  7. Anyone associated with the treasonous orange sociopath liar is immediately disqualified from running for any elective office.

  8. Trump lost PA. Probably a great idea to run people who mirror him.

    Good call.

  9. Another Trumpite promising to expose corruption! Why didn’t she expose it in his administration.

      1. I’m pretty sure they have media, internet, TV, newspapers, etc there.

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