Far-right firebrand Doug Mastriano has tried to prove that he’s the Trumpiest candidate in the race, and now that’s paying off as he becomes the first GOP gubernatorial candidate to get on the ballot.
PENNSYLVANIA — Since announcing his campaign in January, Doug Mastriano has supercharged the “Super MAGA” primary, leading his fellow candidates down the far-right rabbithole with his obsession with the MAGA agenda and his commitment to the Big Lie. This long-established “street cred” with the MAGA base has not only earned him frontrunner status in the GOP primary for Governor, but it’s clearly helped him build a grassroots following among the Trump base, because yesterday, Mastriano became the first GOP gubernatorial candidate to get on the ballot.
Mastriano is unwavering in his commitment to his extreme agenda, but the other far-right candidates aren’t far behind — they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win, including embracing every far-right litmus test thrown their way and “crafting their campaigns in [Trump’s] image.” Now, they’re even attacking Doug Mastriano himself to try to keep up with him.
“Doug Mastriano has done more for Trump’s MAGA movement than any other candidate in the GOP gubernatorial race — whether it was using campaign funds to bus Pennsylvanians to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and attending the insurrection himself or championing the sham fraudit of the 2020 presidential election — so it’s no surprise he’s a frontrunner in this GOP race and the first candidate to secure enough support from the far-right base to get on the ballot,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “While the crowded field of far-right candidates focuses on attacking Mastriano and doing whatever it takes to make it out of their messy primary, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is committed to working tirelessly to ensure Doug Mastriano isn’t able to get anywhere near the Governor’s office.”
While Doug Mastriano became the first GOP candidate for Governor to get on the ballot, that isn’t the only reason he is in the news this week — Mastriano is also the first GOP candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania to be subpoenaed to appear for a deposition in front of the Jan. 6 Committee for his role in the insurrection and Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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