Despite Republicans doing nearly everything they could to prevent this from happening, Doug Mastriano has won the GOP primary in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.
”It’s confusing why the Pennsylvania GOP is so upset that Doug Mastriano won tonight,” said Alexandra De Luca, spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century. “Mastriano isn’t an exceptional candidate. He’s a cookie-cutter Republican Party politician in the year 2022: A QAnon supporter who wants to privatize all of Pennsylvania’s public schools, ban abortion with no exceptions, and overturn any democratic election whose result he doesn’t like — even if it takes storming through police barricades at the Capitol to do so. Republicans got the extremist they wanted. Now they get to own it.”
Despite collectively advocating for the same types of policies Mastriano is making headlines for supporting, Washington and Harrisburg Republicans have pretended throughout the primary campaign that Mastriano’s policies are somehow inconsistent with their own.
That’s because Mastriano’s record is disqualifying to all but the most rabid MAGA devotees, and despite their own extremism, Republicans know it. Their own polls are telling them to panic. And here’s why:
MASTRIANO ATTENDED 1/6 AND HAS BEEN SUBPOENAED BY CONGRESS
Mastriano attended the January 6th insurrection and breached the police barricades — despite insisting, incorrectly, that he was there peacefully. He used his campaign funds to pay for travel to the attempted coup. He has also been subpoenaed by Congress for his alleged role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election by sending false electors to Washington, DC.
Philadelphia Inquirer: Mastriano Was One Of Six Subpoenaed For “Efforts To Send False Slates Of Electors To Washington And Change The Outcome Of The 2020 Election.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The panel said Tuesday that it sent subpoenas to six people, including Mastriano, demanding information ‘about efforts to send false slates of electors to Washington and change the outcome of the 2020 election.’” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/15/22]
During The January 6th Attack On The Capitol, Mastriano Was Recorded Crossing A Police Line And Standing On The Northwest Lawn Of The Capitol. According to HuffPost, “But in videos analyzed by members of the online ‘Sedition Hunters’ community and posted on social media over the weekend, Mastriano and his wife appeared to be in a crowd as it breached a police line. Mastriano was wearing one of his campaign hats and a dark-green scarf on the day. The video shows people moving forward as a man picks up and throws away the police barricades. Another image shows the couple on the northwest lawn.” [HuffPost, 5/26/21]
Philadelphia Inquirer: “Mastriano Traveled To Washington For The Jan. 6 Rally That Preceded The Attack, And Video Appears To Show Him Passing Through Breached Barricades Set Up By Capitol Police.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Mastriano traveled to Washington for the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the attack, and video appears to show him passing through breached barricades set up by Capitol Police. Mastriano says he didn’t cross police lines.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/8/22]
Mastriano Spent Over $3,000 On Buses To Send His Supporters To The Capitol On January 6th, 2021. According to the American Independent, “Doug Mastriano, a Pennsylvania state senator running for the Republican nomination for governor, spent $1,000 more than was previously known on bus trips that took place around the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mastriano, who was a scheduled speaker at the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that preceded the riot, expensed three charges for ‘bus reservations’ totaling $3,354 to his state Senate campaign in late December 2020. That same week, Mastriano created a Facebook event offering bus rides to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, charging adults $25 and children $10.” [American Independent, 3/2/22]
MASTRIANO WOULD BAN ALL ABORTIONS IN PA — WITH NO EXCEPTIONS
Mastriano fully supports the Supreme Court’s vote to overturn Roe v. Wade — which only 16 percent of Pennsylvanians support. He has also promised to sign extreme abortion bans into state law should he be elected governor — including a radical ban that could outlaw some forms of birth control.
Mastriano Said He Supports Banning Abortion From Conception With No Exceptions, Calling Abortion The “Number 1 Issue.” According to the Associated Press, “In a televised debate last week, Mastriano said he supports banning abortion from conception, with no exceptions. He called abortion ‘the No. 1 issue’ and pointed to the ‘heartbeat’ bill that he has sponsored, which effectively bans abortion at six weeks.” [Associated Press, 5/7/22]
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Mastriano Made It “Clear” That If Elected, He Would Move To Restrict Abortion Rights. According to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, “It’s not yet clear which candidate will emerge from the packed Republican primary field. But one candidate, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, has made it clear he’d move to restrict abortion rights if he’s elected. And, abetted by a Republican-controlled Legislature, it’s clear that he (or any other GOP hopeful) likely could do just that.” [Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 3/15/22]
Mastriano Was The Lead Sponsor On A Heartbeat Bill That Would Ban Abortion As Early As 6 Weeks In Pennsylvania. According to The Pennsylvania Capital Star, “Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, who’s running for governor, is the lead sponsor on a bill that would ban abortion as early as six weeks, which is before most people know they are pregnant. Commonly dubbed ‘heartbeat bills,’ the proposals, according to medical experts, are misleading because an embryo does not yet have a developed heart at six weeks’ gestation.” [Pennsylvania Capital Star, 2/11/22]
MASTRIANO WOULD SLASH LGBTQ RIGHTS
The Supreme Court’s draft majority opinion on Roe v. Wade is broad and suggests that Republicans will use its precedent to continue eliminating other rights on a state-by-state basis, including protections for LGBTQ Americans. Mastriano does not believe in marriage equality and does not support gay couples adopting children. He would be a vehemently anti-LGBTQ governor and threaten the lives and happiness of LGBTQ parents, teachers and kids.
2019, Mastriano’s Campaign Website: “Doug Believes The Building Block Of America Is The Family, That Marriage Is Between A Man And Woman And That No Amount Of Disinformation Or Political Correctness Will Change These Facts.” According to the priorities page on Mastriano’s Senate campaign website, “PROTECTING FAMILIES – Doug believes the building block of America is the family, that marriage is between a man and woman — and that no amount of disinformation or political correctness will change these facts. Doug will protect traditional family values, including religious liberties, parental rights, and educational choice. He pledges to work diligently to keep government from infringing on families’ rights.” [Fight 4 PA, 4/25/22]
2019: Mastriano And Eleven Other Pennsylvania Senate Republicans Sent A Letter To Trump Proposing A New Rule That Would Allow Faith Based Adoption Organizations To Deny Services To LGBT Families. According to ABC 27, “– A dozen state lawmakers are taking credit for a proposed new rule from the Trump administration, which would allow faith-based adoption and foster organizations to deny services to LGBTQ families on religious grounds.[…] Twelve Pennsylvania Senate Republicans sent a letter to President Donald Trump in September, asking for the Obama-era rule to be reversed. ‘Myself and 11 other colleagues in the senate were a bit outraged by this, by this abuse and overreach by the government, by this intolerance and bigotry being imposed on Christian organizations,’ said state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams), one of the 12 to sign the letter. ‘Let these Christian organizations resume their ability to place these kids who need their help.’ LGBTQ groups are concerned the rule would make even fewer families available to the thousands of foster children who are awaiting adoption. ” [ABC 27, 11/6/19]
MASTRIANO WANTED TO SUSPEND HIPAA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Mastriano came down in favor of eliminating HIPAA rights at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — a fact that puts him significantly at odds with his later rhetoric around pandemic response.
March 2020: Mastriano Proposed The State And Federal Government Roll Back Medical Privacy Protections For COVID-19 Patients. According to Penn Capital-Star, “But, for a brief moment in March 2020, before his transition to a lockdown opponent and COVID skeptic was complete, Mastriano seemed to take the issue deadly seriously. In a series of press releases, legislative memos and interviews throughout March 2020, Mastriano proposed the state and the federal government roll back medical privacy protections for COVID-19 patients.” [Penn Capital-Star, 4/1/22]
March 2020: Mastriano Wrote A Letter To Trump Asking Him To Suspend HIPAA And Called For A Bill That Would Eliminate State Level Confidentiality Protections. According to Penn Capital-Star, “The senator followed up the interview with at least two more similar official releases, including a March 19 letter to then-President Donald Trump calling for the suspension of HIPAA, as well as a bill that would eliminate state-level confidentiality protections under Pennsylvania’s 1950’s-era disease control law during a gubernatorial disaster declaration. Mastriano said the latter was needed, citing the Wolf administration’s frequent citation of the law to deny the release of COVID-19 data.” [Penn Capital-Star, 4/1/22]
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Published: May 17, 2022