The GOP primary is just beginning, but the Republican candidates are already putting Donald Trump before Pennsylvanians.
PENNSYLVANIA — The Republican primary for Governor heated up this week after “ardent” Trump supporter Lou Barletta announced his gubernatorial campaign on Monday — and predictably, Pennsylvania Republicans spent the week fighting among themselves to prove their loyalty to Donald Trump. As Barletta embraced the Big Lie on the first day of his campaign, fellow Trump ally Doug Mastriano made a pilgrimage to Trump Tower to talk about the gubernatorial with Donald Trump himself and ask for his support.
Instead of focusing on the challenges facing Pennsylvanians everyday, Barletta and Mastriano doubled down on Trump’s pet issue — the Big Lie — and made increasingly outlandish claims about the 2020 election, with Mastriano calling for a partisan audit and Barletta telling ABC27 that, “dead people have been voting in Pennsylvania for a long time. […] They can mail in their ballots from the cemetery.”
Across the Commonwealth, Pennsylvanians saw that the Republican candidates will put loyalty Donald Trump before everything else:
AP: Trump ‘Asked Me’ To Run For Governor, State Lawmaker Says
By Marc Levy, 05/19/21
A Republican state senator who has talked of possibly running for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump asked him to run and promised to campaign for him.
[…]“He had asked me to run some months ago,” Mastriano said during a sit-down interview in the studio of WEEO-FM in Chambersburg. “He said, ‘Doug, run and I’ll campaign for you.’”
ABC27: Lou Barletta courting Trump’s supporters in bid for Governor
By Dennis Owens, 05/20/21
Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania, but one of his most ardent supporters believes Donald’s popularity remains strong. In fact, Lou Barletta hopes it will propel him to the Governor’s mansion.
[…]Barletta concedes Joe Biden is in the White House, but will not admit that Donald Trump lost. As Governor, he’d push for tighter election security, especially with mail-in ballots.
“Dead people have been voting in Pennsylvania for a long time. We’ve conceded that but now they don’t even have to go to the polls, Dennis. They can mail in their ballots from the cemetery,” said Barletta.
By Jonathan Tamari, 05/15/21
On Tuesday, Republican Sean Parnell launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, highlighting a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. calling him “100% rock-solid America First.”
On Wednesday, several of the state’s congressional Republicans praised the move to purge Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) from House leadership for the sin of calling out former President Donald Trump’s election lies.
And on Saturday, one of those lies’ main superspreaders, Rudy Giuliani, is visiting Pennsylvania for a fund-raiser alongside state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a potential candidate for governor.
As Pennsylvania Republicans maneuver for nationally watched gubernatorial and Senate races next year, this week shows Trump’s influence remains as powerful as ever — to the delight of many Republicans who still see him as their leader, and the consternation of others who fear his imprint could cost them winnable elections with sweeping national implications.
By Candy Woodall, 05/20/21
State Sen. Doug Mastriano appears closer to announcing his candidacy for statewide office.
The Republican from Franklin County recently met with former President Donald Trump for more than an hour at Trump Tower in New York, where he encouraged a bid for governor, Mastriano said during a Facebook Live recording Wednesday.
Mastriano, already sounding like a primary competitor, took aim at Barletta on Wednesday, pointing to the 2018 U.S. Senate campaign he lost by 13 points to incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton.
“He spent about $20 million and got 2 million votes…,” Mastriano said of Barletta.
The state senator said Barletta does have name recognition across the state but hasn’t done much since he left Congress.
“I’ve been fighting on the front lines,” said Mastriano, who accused Barletta of being missing in action.
“When the shooting stops, they come crawling out of the foxholes, giving fiery speeches,” he said. “Not one of them lifted a finger to help me last year.”
[…]Though Mastriano hasn’t formally announced, there does seem to be a race for Trump’s endorsement and campaign money.
WTAE: Early GOP governor hopeful Lou Barletta visits Butler County
By David Kaplan, 5/19/21
In the backroom of Domenico’s Ristorante in Cranberry Township, Mary Kay Soriani can’t shake the sense of the same feeling she had five years ago.
[…]Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 asked Barletta if he believes Joe Biden was the rightful winner of the 2020 election.
“Can anybody really say? We don’t know how much irregularities. I’m not saying he was or wasn’t. I’m just saying should we even have that discussion, should we even be asking, do you really think he is the president?” Barletta said.
Pennsylvania’s election results were certified and no evidence of widespread, malicious, intentional fraud was found in court.
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Sources: Trump has not endorsed anyone in Pa. governor race
By Bill O’Boyle, 05/20/21
Former President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidate in the race for Pennsylvania governor.
That comes from two Trump insiders and it contradicts remarks in an Associated Press story which reported that State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, said he met with Trump on Monday for “an hour and fifteen minutes” at Trump Tower in New York and, among other things, discussed the governor’s race and the candidates.
[…]Former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta of Hazleton also questioned the “endorsement,” noting that Mastriano made the statement a day after Barletta declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor.
“Everybody knows that President Trump speaks for himself,” Barletta said. “If he decides to weigh into this race, it will be unmistaken who he supports. It won’t come from us, the candidates — he will make the announcement on who he supports.”
Barletta added, “I’ve had many conversations with President Trump over the years and I have always kept those conversations between the two of us. President Trump doesn’t like when people put words in his mouth or exaggerate.”
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