PENNSYLVANIA – The far-right Republican candidates in the “Super MAGA” gubernatorial primary have championed the Big Lie for months — and now they’re surrounding themselves with Trump loyalists who actually attended the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain didn’t prosecute a single case of voter fraud in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped him from championing the Big Lie. Not only did he write a letter begging for Trump’s endorsement that Bill Barr deemed “just false,” but he has also bragged about his relationships with participants of the insurrection. In a recent tweet, McSwain thanked Jan. 6. supporter and Northampton County Republican Committee Chairwoman Gloria Lee Snover for inviting him to speak at an event.
Snover not only attended the insurrection on Jan. 6, but she defended it, saying in a Facebook post, “Last I checked the Capitol belongs to the people. The only violence I saw were the police teargassing patriots for no reason. Stop closing the doors to government buildings they belong to the people we pay for them. Government works for us.”
Likewise, Lou Barletta has been pining for the support of Jan. 6 insurrectionists themselves. He said it was “an honor and a privilege” to have the support of controversial conservative commentator Rose Tennent, who was present at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and has since defended the attack.
Doug Mastriano has built his reputation on his support of the Big Lie and election conspiracy theories. He not only continues to spread those lies, but he actually attended the Jan. 6 insurrection and spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds on buses to transport Pennsylvanians to the Capitol that day.
“The Republican candidates for governor are openly campaigning with insurrectionists, showing just how far they will go to win Donald Trump’s support,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “Trump’s Republican candidates should denounce the Big Lie once and for all and condemn the actions of all those involved in the Jan. 6 attack on our democracy, but instead, they are not only set on championing the Big Lie, but also surrounding themselves with violent extremists.”
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