As we reported on Tuesday evening, Republican Doug Mastriano lost his run to be Pennsylvania's next governor by losing to the Attorney General of the state, Democrat Josh Shapiro, by 15 points. The result didn't come as unexpected. As Bonchie noted Tuesday:
“Mastriano was a terrible candidate (something I've mentioned many times in the past). The 6th of January was his election day which was in line with the messages Democrats tried to promote throughout the time. In reality, liberal-leaning money groups backed Mastriano to aid him in winning the GOP nomination, based on the belief that beating Mastriano was a simple way to win. They were correct.”
Although Trump was a strong supporter, Mastriano was a heavy underdog, something that certainly wasn't assisted by the apparent backing by Karl Rove's Super PAC, American Crossroads, for Shapiro. The way Jeff Charles noted two weeks before the election:
“It seems Rove and his comrades are trying to boost Shapiro's position over Mastriano by running a TV advertisement that features Democratic Pennsylvania Senate campaigner John Fetterman as a foil. The video shows Fetterman saying he is tough in the fight against crime. Then, it shifts to a woman who claims, “John Fetterman's record on crime is crazy.””
Another note that he's “not like most Democrats.”
Another person adds that “dozens of times he was the only vote to pardon criminals.”
The narrators argue:
“The 225 instances Josh Shapiro voted against the criminals, however Fetterman approved the release of the criminals. That's nuts. Fetterman is way far more radical than Shapiro.”
Why the back-handed strike at Mastriano? Charles was a fan of a theory:
“The answer is easy. He represents everything that the establishment hates. Mastriano is an America First candidate who dares to doubt the outcomes in the presidential race for 2020. Mastriano doesn't have anything in common with the soft Romney candidates favored by Rove and the rest of the insignificant remnants of the Neocon period.”
Perhaps so. No matter the reason(s) of his defeat, Mastriano has now issued an apology to the race.
The statement by Mastriano expresses his displeasure with the result, his gratitude to his wife and team and his running mate Carrie DelRosso, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and, most importantly, to the over 2.2 million people in Pennsylvania who chose to vote for Mastriano. In announcing the need for reforms in the election process in the state, and calling for greater transparency, security, and faster results, Mastriano vowed:
“I will do my very best to help Josh Shapiro deliver that to Pennsylvanians and, if he does, I will be the first to acknowledge and applaud his achievement.”
Mastriano added that everyone should offer Shapiro “the opportunity to lead and pray that he leads well.”
