Kathy Barnette rises in Pennsylvania polls and garners significant outside support in the GOP Senate campaign.

Kathy Barnette believes the reason for her recent surge in the crowded, acrimonious, and enormously costly Republican Senate race in pivotal Pennsylvania is straightforward. In an interview, Wednesday morning, the veteran and conservative political analyst remarked, “We just ran a far better race than my opponents.”

The latest public opinion poll, conducted May 3-7 and released on Tuesday, shows Barnette’s support among likely GOP primary voters in Pennsylvania has risen in recent weeks, putting her in a virtual tie with front-runners Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

“I am confident that if the people of Pennsylvania understood they had a better alternative, they would pick it, and the polls reflect that,” Barnette said.

Oz, the heart surgeon, author, and well-known celebrity physician who hosted TV’s famous “Dr. Oz Show” until late last year had 22 percent of the vote in the survey. McCormick, a former hedge fund businessman, West Point graduate, Gulf War combat veteran, and Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bush’s administration, receives 20% of the vote, while Barnette receives 19%. Nineteen percent favor other candidates, and 18 percent are uncertain ahead of the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday.

Since the beginning of the year, the Oz and McCormick campaigns, as well as outside super PACs supporting the two candidates, have spent tens of millions of dollars running TV, digital, and radio advertising attacking one other on their conservative credentials and critical issues.

She further stated, pointing to the millions of dollars spent by Oz and McCormick, “They have yet to break out of the low 20s. That is a risky investment.” However, Barnette’s bare-bones campaign is receiving some last-minute outside assistance from a wealthy outfit.

The Club for Growth, a pro-business an anti-tax group that spends heavily in Republican primaries, has officially backed Barnette and announced on Wednesday that it has spent $2 million to broadcast a statewide commercial in Pennsylvania highlighting the candidate’s history. Barnette also received the support of Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), a renowned anti-abortion outside group, earlier this week.