Same deal - PA GOP Governor's race - Who do ya got?

berryberry's Avatar
Very important race as the person elected must be committed to stopping the voter fraud and corruption Josh Shapiro encouraged and will continue to allow if he is elected

And feel free to chime in on Lieutenant Governor options if you are so inclined

berryberry's Avatar
Well I guess there is not as much interest in the Governor primary as the Senate

I was leaning toward Dave White myself - but seems like Mastriano's political machine may be too tough for anyone to overcome
bambino's Avatar
I like Barletta. I’m ok with Mastriano. Wolf and Shapiro have to go. It’s more important than the Senate race.
berryberry's Avatar
Definitely agree Wolf and Shapiro have to go. Only way to restore free and fair elections in PA and eliminate Democrat voter fraud

I can live with either White, Barletta or Mastriano
... Blimey! ... Melissa Hart is in the running??
That's a surprise.

... She got about as-much chance to win as Owen Hart.

### Salty
Jacuzzme's Avatar
Definitely supporting Mastriano.
I am leaning toward White, if I thought she had a chance, I would vote for Hart. If I remember right, she was a hell raiser who challenged the "this is the way it always has been done".
berryberry's Avatar
Jake Corman pulled out of the race today and is now supporting Barletta
berryberry's Avatar
Former Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA) dropped out of the Pennsylvania Republican primary gubernatorial race to endorse former Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA). The endorsement comes after Jake Corman dropped out to endorse Barletta.
lustylad's Avatar
Here's what the WSJ wrote a couple of days ago, before Corman and Hart dropped out to endorse Barletta:


The Mastriano Pileup in the Pennsylvania Elections

A fractured GOP might give the Democrats four more years as Governor.


By The Editorial Board
Updated May 11, 2022 6:33 pm ET


President Trump won the Republican primary in 2016 by taking roughly a third of the vote, while his squabbling opponents from the traditional GOP split the rest. Next week Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano might pull off the same trick in the primary for Governor, and Democrats couldn’t be happier to help him do it.

Mr. Mastriano is a long shot in November. He’s a 2020 stolen-election theorist who wants to end Pennsylvania’s contracts with “compromised voting machine companies.” He reportedly organized buses to take people to Mr. Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021. Although he said he left when the rioting began, the Philadelphia Inquirer says video “appears to show Mastriano and his wife walking through breached police barricades.” Last month he spoke at an event featuring QAnon nonsense.

A poll by Fox News last week put Mr. Mastriano at 29% support among Republican primary voters. That’s a plurality only because below him there’s an eight-car pileup. Former Rep. Lou Barletta was at 17%, former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain at 13%, businessman Dave White at 11%, and state Senate leader Jake Corman at 5%. Four others were in single digits. GOP bigwigs are now frantically trying to unite those factions by getting unviable candidates to drop out and endorse a consensus pick.

This will probably work about as well as it did in 2016 against Mr. Trump, which is to say, it won’t. It’s hard for any candidate to throw in the towel after putting in months of sweat and asking donors to contribute. Mr. Barletta is in second, so he’s unlikely to quit. Mr. McSwain is anti-endorsed by Mr. Trump, who called the former U.S. Attorney a “coward” for doing “absolutely nothing” on voter fraud. “Bill McSwain is staying in the race,” his team said Tuesday.

Mr. White has invested millions of his own money, which might be sunk cost, but he understandably wants to get to primary day. Mr. Corman is scheduled Thursday to join Mr. Barletta for a “major announcement,” but even if he tries to shift all his support, it’s only 5%, not enough to make the difference on its own.

The likely Democratic nominee is Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose latest TV ad reveals his view of the GOP field. His commercial calls Mr. Mastriano “one of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters,” saying that he “led the fight to audit the 2020 election” and “wrote the heartbeat bill in Pennsylvania” to help “outlaw abortion.” Mr. Mastriano doesn’t have the campaign cash to bombard television viewers, so Mr. Shapiro is trying to help him get the nomination.

If Republicans go for it, Tuesday’s primary could be the start of another Trumpian backfire. Pennsylvania Republicans want voting reforms, and the GOP state Legislature passed some that were promptly vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. If primary voters want those bills signed, their job is to pick a conservative who can win the general election. A recent poll by Osage Research said Pennsylvania swing voters preferred a Republican Governor, 42% to 39%.

But asked about a race between Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Mastriano, the Democrat was up 49% to 41%. The pollster said it involved “Mastriano losing an astounding 23% of the swing Republicans to Shapiro. This is an unsustainable number for a general election nominee for a party.” Those are the figures while Democrats are running TV ads to help Mr. Mastriano. What about when they begin really going after him?

With Mr. Mastriano at the top of the ticket, many Republicans fear a washout could also cost them control of the Legislature or the crucial Senate seat now held by Republican Pat Toomey, who is retiring.

Political primaries are about campaign promises and ideology, but also temperament and electability. Pennsylvania Republicans will regret it if their party throws away another winnable election and delivers four more years of vetoes by another Democratic Governor.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-dou...p-11652301140?
bambino's Avatar
President Donald J. Trump:

Can somebody please explain to The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal that a person named Donald J. Trump easily won the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s vote in 2016 against Crooked Hillary Clinton, and in 2020 did MUCH better against Joe Biden, but the Election was Rigged and Stolen. The people of Pennsylvania understand this far better than the RINO “Board,” who have totally lost touch & influence with America. I will soon be Endorsing (so far, 58 to 1) a candidate for Governor!
... The Wall Street Journal has as much credibility with
conservatives as John McCain had.

... It would fit rather well inside a thimble.

### Salty
berryberry's Avatar
Lusty - thanks for that good article

It prompted me to do some more digging as initially I was leaning towards White. But after that article and some other info I read, I now believe I will vote Barletta.

Lou Barletta was one of the first Congressmen to endorse Trump. Barletta encouraged Trump to keep campaigning in Pennsylvania in 2016. And I believe Barletta has the best opportunity to beat Shapiro in November. After eight years of being run by an incompetent Democratic governor, we can't afford to lose.

When Shapiro and Democrats are spending money now on ads pushing Mastriano as the Republican choice, that sets off all kind of alarm bells for me. A few excerpts from one article:

Apart from a penchant for incendiary rhetoric, Mr. Mastriano has proven a lackluster fundraiser and polls show him struggling to overcome Mr. Shapiro in the state’s swing counties.

Democrats have only seemed to validate those GOP concerns. Mr. Shapiro, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary for governor, has begun spending heavily to boost Mr. Mastriano.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is also working to boost Mr. Mastriano’s chances of becoming the GOP nominee. The party has paid for campaign mailers targeting Republican voters in recent days.


Now the worry is whether Trump weighs in at this late date with an endorsement which he has rumored he will do. If he does, the liklihood is he will endorse the frontrunner - mainly to boost his endorsement record - which I already noted is very deceptive. No matter who you support, I believe it would be a damn shame if he stabs Barletta, one of his earliest supporters in PA in the back by endorsing someone else. The smart thing for Trump to do is just stay on the sidelines and let the chips fall where they may - and then provide his support for the Nov election
bambino's Avatar
Trump just endorsed Mastriano


https://t.me/KanekoaTheGreat/4476
bambino's Avatar