Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA, Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA, Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA
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Republican Doug Mastriano had yet to concede Pennsylvaniaās gubernatorial election nearly two days after it was called for Democrat Josh Shapiro despite members of his own party calling for him to do so.
The race wasnāt close.
The Associated Press declared Shapiro the winner just after midnight Wednesday, with 80% of the votes counted. The AP calls races when it has determined that there is no mathematical path for trailing candidates to win from the ballots left to count.
With most votes counted by Thursday, unofficial returns show Shapiro having beat Mastriano by 14 points ā the biggest gubernatorial margin in an open race since the 1940s. The Democratās victory also marks the first time since the 1950s that one party has won three consecutive gubernatorial terms in Pennsylvania.
Mastrianoās silence on the outcome so far has been notable given his history of false statements regarding the integrity of the 2020 election. Among other things, Mastriano bussed supporters to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, as former President Donald Trump tried to overturn the legitimate outcome of the presidential race won by President Joe Biden.
On election night, Mastriano struck both defiant and conciliatory tones. In an address at 10 p.m., he told supporters that āweāre going to take this fight all the way to Harrisburgā and that āthis movement is unstoppable.ā
Later, in his last public remarks before the election was called, he told the crowd of the results: āWhat the people of Pennsylvania said, we will of course respect that.ā
Since, Mastriano has been radio silent ā save a few cryptic posts to social media. One featured a photo of himself on horseback with the caption āsaddle up.ā Another included a photo of himself and his wife in front of a body of water and a sunset.
His campaign did not return a request for comment.
Republican operatives and elected officials said Mastrianoās silence doesnāt mean any sort of credible challenge to the results is coming. Jason High, a senior associate at former GOP Gov. Tom Ridgeās government relations firm, told Spotlight PA on Thursday that āanyone in Republican circles ā everyone knows itās over.ā
State Rep. John Hershey (R., Juniata), who lost his primary this year and will not be in office next year, said heās already received constituent calls complaining that the election was stolen.
Mastrianoās statement on election night that he would respect the will of the people, Hershey said, āis at odds with his current behavior.ā Hershey also criticized the āsaddle upā social media post as āinappropriate given the events of the past couple years.ā
āIt places confusion in the minds of voters and only stirs up angry feelings,ā Hershey said.
Dwight D. Weidman, the former chair of the Republican Party in Mastrianoās home county of Franklin, said he too believes it is time for Mastriano to concede.
āThe gap is so large, he doesnāt have a pathway forward to victory,ā said Weidman. āHe needs to just put it behind him and lick his wounds. And maybe itās time for a little introspection by Doug and the party, to see where we go from here.ā
There was talk among lawmakers, legislative staff, and lobbyists on the eve of the election of an obscure constitutional measure that allows the General Assembly to review a gubernatorial election, according to sources familiar with the strategy. But the appetite to attempt such a move inside and outside the Capitol appears negligible given the results.
Even Jenna Ellis, who served as Mastrianoās senior legal advisor and managed Trumpās doomed attempt to overthrow the 2020 election, has thrown cold water on the idea of contesting Mastrianoās loss.
āThere isnāt this kind of concern like we had in 2020,ā she said on her podcast Wednesday when talking about disappointing GOP results in the midterm. āWe canāt just say, āOh my gosh, everything is stolen.ā I mean thatās ridiculous for this election.ā
Still, High said the lack of concession is still damaging.
He managed Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagnerās campaign in 2018, and though that contest was intense ā at one point Wagner threatened to stomp Gov. Tom Wolfās face with golf spikes ā Wagner quickly called Wolf to concede when returns showed the Democrat with an unbeatable lead.
āI think itās important to concede, acknowledge the campaignās over, and particularly signal to your supporters that youāre going to move on,ā High said. āItās important for the process. Itās important for democracy.ā
Yet Mastrianoās actions were also anticipated by many, both in and out of his party.
Throughout his campaign, Mastriano continued to promote unfounded claims of election fraud. He called mail ballots and the anticipated slow pace of counting them evidence of wrongdoing and reasons to question the validity of election results. Just a week before the election, his campaign sent out a fundraising email with the subject line: āThe fix is in (2020 all over again),ā criticizing ādelaysā in the vote-counting process.
The day before the election, Pennsylvaniaās four living governors sent a letter to the two major gubernatorial candidates urging them to accept the results of the election.
Speaking to reporters the Friday before the election, Shapiro said he expected Mastriano to not accept the results.
āThis is a guy who was part of the violent mob on Jan. 6 to stop our votes from being counted,ā Shapiro said. āHeās already told us what he wants to do in 2024 by decertifying voting machines.ā
Shapiro added that he had faith in county election officials across the state and that he would ārespect the outcome of the election and the will of the people.ā
Mastrianoās supporters expressed hope on election night that, regardless of the outcome, his political career was not over.
āIām a Christian. I know God has this regardless,ā Michelle Loughery, a 55-year-old campaign volunteer from Jim Thorpe, told Spotlight PA. āIf he doesnāt win, it wasnāt meant to be.ā
She added: āIf he wants to run again in four years, I am behind him.ā
Other Republicans also mused that Mastrianoās career ā or the careers of other conservative populists like him ā arenāt over. But theyāre not happy about it.
High, the former campaign manager for Wagner, said he thinks candidates like Mastriano canāt win statewide, but that doesnāt mean theyāll stop getting on ballots.
āThe problem is, I think this is where the Republican Party primary voters are,ā High said. āI donāt know how you move on from it.ā
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For a man claiming to be possessed of Grace, Mastriano sure is lacking in grace.
Perhaps if Mastriano would have made himself available to a wider audience than just the MAGA crowd. Closed rallies and interviews only furthered his image as an out-of-touch wingnut. Ultimately, Pennsylvania voters rejected right -wing extremism and went with a center-leaning Democrat without the baggage.
If Mastriano would have won by simply making himself more available to a wider audience through public rallies and interviews, what does that say about our family, friends, and neighbors?
There is no way to turn whatever statements he did make as acceptable to the public. Anti-semitism, racism, and fascism are always wrong and should be countered strongly every time they appear.