Kay Barnes is trying to return to her roots, but it may be hard since she really doesn’t seem to know where they are, or who is left.

In her thinly veiled attempt to ditch her urban background, Barnes tried to sound like a country girl during her press conference on Monday. She referred to her northwest Missouri roots at least a dozen times.

But she also proved she doesn’t really know where those roots are. In talking to Ken Newton of the St. Joseph News-Press, Barnes referred to her mom’s birthplace of Pumpkin Center as “the Atchison County crossroads.” The only problem is, Pumpkin Center is in Nodaway County. Strike one.

At one point in her press conference, Barnes says she is looking forward to visiting and lists all the communities her family “has roots,” and she includes Pumpkin Center. Barnes sure doesn’t know her district very well, because Pumpkin Center has all but disappeared from the map. Strike two.

Of course, Barnes tried to use yet another name change to highlight the rural girl she was. “Kay Cronkite Barnes”, reads the press release. Like anyone would buy that! And in fact at least two of her own supporters did not buy it. Both brandished “Kay for Congress” signs touting “Kay Waldo Barnes” at the bottom. When even your own supporters don’t buy your shtick, that is strike three.

Related:

The Pitch: “Kay, There’s Something You Should Know About Pumpkin Center”

Comments

comments