Trump endorses Doug Mastriano for Pennsylvania governor
Former President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he was endorsing state Sen. Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania's gubernatorial Republican primary, The Hill reports.
"There is no one in Pennsylvania who has done more, or fought harder, for Election Integrity than State Senator Doug Mastriano," Trump said in a statement. Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent argued Thursday that Mastriano went beyond trying "to help Trump overturn the [2020] election" by declaring "his support for the notion that the popular vote can be treated as non-binding when it comes to the certification of presidential electors."
Trump also praised Mastriano for his positions on immigration, abortion, criminal justice, and gun rights.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Polling conducted earlier this month had Mastriano leading his closest competitor — former Rep. Lou Barletta — by 10 points ahead of Tuesday's primary election. The winner of that contest will likely face Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) in November.
Just two days before Trump announced his low-risk, eleventh-hour endorsement of Mastriano, he released a statement defending Mehmet Oz (R) — his pick for Pennsylvania's open Senate seat — against surging challenger Kathy Barnette (R).
"Kathy Barnette will never be able to win the General Election against the Radical Left Democrats. She has many things in her past which have not been properly explained or vetted," Trump wrote. The former president still hedged his bet, however, writing that "if she is able to do so, she will have a wonderful future in the Republican Party — and I will be behind her all the way."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
How music can help recovery from surgeryUnder The Radar A ‘few gentle notes’ can make a difference to the body during medical procedures
-
Nursing is no longer considered a professional degree by the Department of EducationThe Explainer An already strained industry is hit with another blow
-
6 gripping museum exhibitions to view this winterThe Week Recommends Discover the real Grandma Moses and Frida Kahlo
-
Trump’s Ukraine peace talks advance amid leaked callSpeed Read Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia next week
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
X’s location update exposes international troll industryIn the Spotlight Social media platform’s new transparency feature reveals ‘scope and geographical breadth’ of accounts spreading misinformation
-
Tariffs: Will Trump’s reversal lower prices?Feature Retailers may not pass on the savings from tariff reductions to consumers
-
Trump: Is he losing control of MAGA?Feature We may be seeing the ‘first meaningful right-wing rebellion against autocracy of this era’
-
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein: a TimelineIN DEPTH The alleged relationship between deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump has become one of the most acute threats to the president’s power
-
Why is Donald Trump suddenly interested in Sudan?Today's Big Question A push from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince helped
