Mike Kelly

BUTLER TWP — Primary voters in Butler County will be in the spotlight Tuesday when a national TV news network broadcasts from a Pittsburgh Road cafe as part of its coverage of Pennsylvania’s primary.

Fox News will focus on a Butler native as well. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, of Butler will be at Mac’s Route 8 Cafe, 15 Pittsburgh Road, on Tuesday morning as part of the early coverage of the state’s primary election with the news program “Fox & Friends.”

The taping will occur from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and include interviews with voters and patrons in the cafe as well as an interview with Kelly.

Kelly will appear with host Anna Kooiman and talk about primary politics in Pennsylvania, according to the news show’s blog.

He plans to discuss how Pennsylvania’s delegate system works and comment on an opinion piece he wrote this month for USA Today in which he argues the GOP’s divisive presidential primary is harming its chances at winning the White House this fall, a spokesman said today.

Kelly’s office said it wasn’t clear exactly when he would appear on the program Tuesday morning.

David McKivigan, the owner of Mac’s, said he’s a Fox & Friends fan and is excited to watch the show in live action and hear the cafe’s customers talk about their impressions of the primary. McKivigan said the show was originally looking at locations in Erie, but ended up deciding on Mac’s because of its “diner-type atmosphere.”

“I knew they were looking at places (in the region), but I never dreamed this would happen,” McKivigan said.

Kelly said he wants to seize a moment when interest in the primary is at an “all-time high” to talk about how Pennsylvania’s delegates are selected, what rules they must follow at the GOP convention in Cleveland this summer, and the internal strife the GOP is struggling with.

“I think it’s going to be quite interesting to get a real picture of where we live and what our voters have to say.” Kelly said. “At the end of the day, I want to see a Republican win the White House, but the only way you get there is as a team.”

The news organization is expected to be on site starting at 4 a.m., and the business will open at 5:30 a.m. Taping of the episode will begin at 6 a.m., and the business doesn’t anticipate any special arrangements or issues surrounding the production.