The Doug Mastriano senator considers another run for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2026, establishing a potential rematch with the democratic governor Josh Shapiro, who beat Mastriano by almost 15 percentage points in the last election.
Mastriano (R., Franklin) told Inquirer on Tuesday that the next governor’s run was “definitely on the table” and that he spent time determining what went wrong in his catastrophic offer 2022, where he lacked the support of the Republican establishment, he collected little money, And he often refused to talk to the main media.
Shapiro is ready for re -election in 2026 and remains extremely popular in a swing, who voted for President Donald Trump in November. Shapiro spokesman refused to comment.
Many of the best republicans from Pennsylvania expressed the desire to challenge Shapiro-which broke the state record in 2022 and was raised as a presidential claimant in 2028. – Which, according to Mastriano, is possible with him at the top of the ticket after he learned critical lessons from the presidential election in 2024.
At least one other Republican signaled the intention of the Governor in 2026: Rep. USA Dan Meuser (R., Pa.), Who said he was considering running. Treasurer Stacy Garrita – who in November received the most votes of every candidate for a nationwide office in the history of Pennsylvania – did not rule out the race.
The most significant lesson that Mastriano said that he had learned in the last election was that republican candidates must accept post voting to win in the whole state in Pennsylvania after prior discrediting. And he thinks he could win by using the postal vote, even without the support of the GOP plant.
“Where we failed, and when we failed, he was not just an establishment – I think I focused too much on it,” said Mastriano. “Where I lost, there were postal voices. Me and my team did not accept this new reality. … that’s where we blew it up. “
Trump’s attacks on postal voting cards in 2020 detained republican voters before using the option, but in 2024 Republicans made joint efforts to augment post voting among their voters.
“This is a reality that we must accept. And if Trump did not accept him last year, he would lose again, “said Mastriano, seemingly recognizing for the first time that Trump lost the election in 2020. “And I will win there. I will not win it if the plant is on board. I will win it because we will have invented voting things. “
Mastriano pointed to the trajectory of the deceased governor Bob Casey Sr., Democrat, who submitted four offers for the governor before he won the highest executive place in 1986 and took two terms.
And Mastriano is looking at positive races: he won the most votes of every GOP governor candidate from 1962 in the Shapiro attendance competition, the number of Mastriano would augment, including post voting in 2026.
Mastriano also said that he had spent time for years, building a good will with Pennsylvania’s republican establishment, including the State Senator Greg Rothman (R., Dauphin), chairman of the State Party and US senator Dave McCormick (R., Pa, Pa.) . He noticed that he was sitting at the GOP state dinner with Rothman along with other grassroots and establishment leaders.
“I am confident because of what we did here when it comes to Greg Rothman, with Dave McCormick and showing good will that we will receive their support after the basic one will certainly be both the plant and will not face the same challenge as we do Mastriano said.
In Rothman’s statement he said that Mastriano “was very helpful in my campaign for the chairman of PA GOP and I am grateful for his support.” But he did not say if he supported the potential Mastriano candidacy if he officially joins the race.
“We focus on making sure that the infrastructure is on the spot to choose a republican for the governor in 2026.” Rothman said in a statement. “But it starts with winning court races in 2025.”
Mastriano considered running against McCormick in the United States Senate, but eventually decided against it and threw his support for McCormick. McCormicka spokesman did not immediately answer to the request for comment.
Mastriano, a former American army colonel with a top secret clearance, built the bottom-up Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of its resistance before business closures. This support grew after the presidential election in 2020, when he promoted Trump’s false claims that the results of the election in Pennsylvania were forged.
Mastriano today remains an avid supporter of Trump, waking up every day since the inauguration of the presidential “with a smile” and believes that his possible candidacy reflects the emotions of Pennsylvania for Trump.
Models some of the recent provisions regarding Trump’s executive activities, such as a project, which is working on the performance of the government department Elon Musk in the Commission version in Pennsylvania conducted by the legislative department and government officers.
He also prepares regulations enabling residents to access ivermectin, malaria and a little drug, which right-wing commentators have popularized as Covid-19 treatment at the beginning of Pandemia and He supported the efforts to ban transgender women and girls from participation in women’s sports.
Mastriano also has connections with Christian nationalism and opposes abortion, including the exceptions to rape, incest or health.
In the basic 2022 GOP, the state refused to support candidates in governor or American races in the Senate. This led to a crowded, nine -known main GOP voting for a governor, who was beneficial to Mastriano, who built name recognition by anti -blocking and election efforts in 2020.
Democrats saw Mastriano and his far -right views as an easier opponent in universal elections. Shapiro, who at that time was a general prosecutor and did not face the main opponent, conducted an advertisement at GOP Primary to ensure that he would face a right -wing senator in universal elections, where he later led to victory.
Republican leaders predicted-late Mastriano will have difficulty winning in the whole state of universal elections, so they tried to stop him in the eleventh hour of trying to connect around one candidate, ultimately failures to win Mastriano 44% of the main votes.
