Pennsylvania Republicans Are Going to Nominate an Election Conspiracist for Governor
TFW when Dr. Oz is the most normal Republican in a state.
LOL, if you thought Donald Trumpās endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz for Senate was the worst development in Pennsylvaniaās 2022 GOP primaries, wait until you hear about the Republicans running for governor.
TL; DR: Pennsylvania Republicans will nominate a 2020 election conspiracist for governor in the May 17 primary. How can I be sure of that? Because theyāre all election conspiracists. The only thing differentiating them is how far down the rabbit hole they go. And, thereās an excellent chance the nuttiest bunny of them all, Doug Mastriano, is going to win the primary.
Which means that Republicans might get a crackpot governing this swing state in 2024. What could possibly go wrong?
The name āMastrianoā should sound familiar. Heās the bald military vet Pennsylvania state senator who bused people to the Capitol on January 6, where he was scheduled to speak at a āStop the Stealā rally. He was subpoenaed by the January 6th Committee for his participation in Trumpās phony elector scheme. He tried to bring an Arizona-style āauditā to his state in hopes of decertifying the election. Both of these actions should have made him a pariah. Instead, they increased his profile with Trump voters.
Most early polls showed that former congressman and Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta held an edge on Mastriano, but Mastriano seems to have momentum. A Fox News poll conducted March 2-6 showed Barlettaās lead shrinking to one point; an Emerson College poll conducted March 26-28 showed Mastriano leading the race by 4 points.
He sure does like to put on a show. He announced his bid for governor with a 4-hour event described as a āpolitical rally, rock concert, and Christian religious revivalā that drew 1,500 people. Trumpās former National Security Advisor-turned-Q enthusiast Michael Flynn, who has endorsed Mastriano, spoke and reassured the crowd that āJesus was a domestic terrorist.ā
Mastriano maintains an active presence on Facebook, where he often posts videos and appears on Steve Bannonās āWar Roomā podcast. Trump flunkies Liz Harrington and Jenna Ellis have traveled to Pennsylvania to headline campaign events for him. If anyone has momentum in the race, itās Mastriano.
But what about Barletta? You might think he would be the ānormalā Republican in the race. Think again. Barletta signed up to be an āalternate electorā in Trumpās attempted coup. And heās always been a Trump man, too.
Back in 2016, Barletta, most well-known for his hardline anti-immigration stance, was one of the first members of Congress to endorse Trump. Trump returned the favor and put his stamp of approval on Barlettaās 2018 run for the Senate, which Barletta lost by 13 points to incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. Out of a job, Barletta stayed close to the Trump scene.
He chaired Pennsylvaniaās GOP delegation for Trumpās 2020 nomination and stayed true to Trump through the post-election turmoil. After the election, Barletta called for a āfull forensic audit.ā On January 6th, he tweeted that āCongress must NOT certify while the integrity of this election is in question!ā
https://twitter.com/LouBarletta_PA/status/1346796303502729216?s=20&t=aM0cUVhWn8P0bo2GGE9Ngw
The other candidates in the raceāBill McSwain, Dave White, and Jake Cormanāarenāt any better. Theyāve all played along with Trumpās election lies.
McSwain, a former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, roiled the Justice Department last summer when he sent Trump a letter seeking his endorsement in the race. McSwain sucked up to Trump by blaming former Attorney General Bill Barr for stopping him from pursuing an election-fraud investigation in his state.
On Election Day and afterwards, our Office received various allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities. As part of my responsibilities as U.S. Attorney, I wanted to be transparent with the public and, of course, investigate fully any allegations. Attorney General Barr, however, instructed me not to make any public statements or put out any press releases regarding possible election irregularities. I was also given a directive to pass along serious allegations to the State Attorney General for investigation ā the same State Attorney General who had already declared that you could not win.
I disagreed with that decision, but those were my orders. As a Marine infantry officer, I was trained to follow the chain of command and to respect the orders of my superiors, even when I disagree with them. Mr. President, public service is in my blood, and I would like to serve the people of Pennsylvania and restore conservative leadership to our state. I will be the Republican candidate for Governor with the best chance to win the general election in November 2022. Based on my background and experience, I am uniquely positioned to defeat Mr. Shapiro (the likely Democratic candidate) and would welcome the chance to discuss this with you in person. I would be honored to have your support. Trump has since heralded McSwainās letter at various rallies as evidence of fraud.
Meanwhile, Dave White kicked his campaign off with an ad asking, āIf there wasnāt any fraud in the Pennsylvania election, why every time we call for an audit, do the Democrats cry like a little baby?ā
Former Trump campaign manager and advisor Kellyanne Conway is assisting Jake Cormanās campaign. As the state Senateās top Republican, Corman tangled with Mastriano over Mastrianoās demands for a state-led āforensic auditā of the election, which Corman eventually indulged and now takes credit for leading (it remains ongoing). Under Cormanās eye, the Pennsylvania Senate awarded a $270,000 no-bid contract to a Florida firm to produce a report by May 15. Two days before the primary election. What timing.
So, why hasnāt Trump endorsed one of these very fine people? All of the Republican candidates are willingāeager!āto spread Trumpās big election lie and promote the idea that something went wrong with Pennsylvaniaās 2020 election. Thereās just one big problem: None of them seems likely to win a general election.
Remember, Barletta got Trumpās endorsement in 2018 and lost, bigly. Corman, White, and McSwain are longshots in the primary, with none of them cracking double digits in polling. Which leaves Mastriano, the MAGA maniac who generates grassroots excitementābut is so outrageous that Corman banned him from attending private GOP meetings. Good luck with having Mastriano unite the party for the general election.
But the brutal fact is that the two leading candidates in Pennsylvaniaās GOP gubernatorial primary were actual participants in Trumpās phony elector scheme.
And the other candidates arenāt drawing contrastsāthey are following Mastrianoās lead, which says everything about who is really in control of the GOP.
Pretty soon, Dr. Oz might be considered the most normal Republican running statewide in Pennsylvania.
