Governor's Race 2022

[lager1829]

Mastriano has GOA endorsement:


From,
Dr. Val Finnell, Pennsylvania GOA Director

I am delighted to announce GOA's endorsement of Senator Doug Mastriano for Governor of Pennsylvania.

Among gun owners, Senator Mastriano needs no introduction. That's because he's been a champion of your Second Amendment rights ever since he took office as a PA state senator.

Doug's legislative record is impeccable and speaks for itself. He is the prime sponsor of SB 624, the Right to Bear Arms Protection Act, a bill that would stop Pennsylvania officials from cooperating with the illegal gun grab coming from Joe Biden's Executive Actions.

Senator Mastriano has a 100% pro-gun voting record and provided unconditional support on the Senate floor in favor of Constitutional Carry (SB 565). He was also a co-sponsor of every PA Senate bill GOA prioritized for the 2021-2022 session.

Here is what Doug has to say in his own words:

I am 100% in support of 2nd Amendment rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. I believe wholeheartedly that the government "shall not infringe" on that right. I'll fight for preemption and reciprocity, and will never support any legislation that seeks to restrict or limit this right for law-abiding citizens. I also support Constitutional Carry and the Right to Bear Arms Protection Act, protecting gun rights from federal encroachment.

Senator Mastriano's efforts with other matters, important to Pennsylvania gun owners, are legendary. You have seen Senator Mastriano on TV, radio, and social media defending the personal freedoms of all Pennsylvanians during the COVID-19 shutdown in PA. Many of these restrictions closed gun stores and ranges, all of which are essential businesses that should have NEVER been closed.

Senator Mastriano took the lead on ensuring election integrity with a Forensic Audit before being wrongfully stripped from that role and having his Harrisburg staff removed by Senate President Jake Corman in a move to bolster his own gubernatorial hopes through discrediting Senator Mastriano.

It's imperative that Pennsylvania gun owners have a candidate who is reliable, dedicated, and can beat the Democratic front-runner, Pennsylvania's anti-gun Attorney General, Josh Shapiro.

Doug Mastriano is that man! Overwhelmingly, GOA members and supporters selected Senator Mastriano as their favorite gubernatorial candidate in a GOA-sponsored survey.

It is clear that if we are going to defeat Josh Shapiro, we need to have an uncompromising pro-2A candidate who has strong grassroots support.

For all these reasons, Gun Owners of America is backing Doug Mastriano for Governor of Pennsylvania.

So, in the May 17, 2022, Republican primary, vote for GOA-endorsed Doug Mastriano for Governor and be sure to volunteer and support his campaign

[EFK]

I think Barletta or Mastriano as governor would be the best thing that every happened to this state, but I also think neither one of them stands a snowball's chance in hell of winning at the statewide level. Both are too "scary," too many convictions. Heck, Barletta couldn't take down Bob Casey - what makes anyone think he can win over the downstate suburban Karens? Either one of those guys would take the northern tier easily. Unfortunately there just aren't enough of us up here.

When was the last time PA elected a Gov that wasn't all squishy? Sad state of affairs.

[Noah_Zark]

It*s getting a little crowded
15 candidates running on the REP ticket

In alphabetical order, they are:

*Lou Barletta, a former Congressman who represented parts of Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry Counties from 2011 to 2019. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 and lost to current Senator Bob Casey. Barletta is the former Mayor of Hazelton and is an immigration hardliner.

*Shawn Berger, a business owner in Eastern Pennsylvania who owns a cleaning company and seafood restaurant.This is his first political campaign.

*Guy Ciarrocchi, the former director of the Chester County Chamber of Business. He was a chief of staff under former Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley and before that, served under former President George W. Bush as a regional program director for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

*Jake Corman, who is currently the President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate. He is in his 23rd year in the Senate, and served as Majority Leader from 2015-21.

*Joe Gale, who is a Montgomery County Commissioner and outspoken critic of current Republican policies in the Pennsylvania State Legislature.

*Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-area based Republican strategist and television political commentator.

*Melissa Hart, who is formerly a U.S. Congresswoman and State Senator from Western Pennsylvania, and is currently an Allegheny County attorney.

*Scott Martin, the head of the Pa. Senate Education Committee and two-term senator from Lancaster County. Martin was formerly a Lancaster County Commissioner.

*Doug Mastriano, who has yet to officially declare for governor, and is expected to do so at an event on Saturday, January 8 in Gettysburg. Mastriano is an ally of former President Donald Trump, and advocated for a full forensic audit of the 2020 Presidential Election in Pennsylvania.

*Bill McSwain, who was appointed by former President Trump as U.S. Attorney to the Eastern District.

*Jason Monn, who owns a pizza restaurant in Corry, Pa. where he is the former mayor and councilman.

*Jason Richey, an attorney and partner at R&L Gates law firm in Pittsburgh.

*John Ventre, a former public affairs executive for UPS and currently a UFO researcher in Westmoreland County.

*Dave White, who owns a plumbing and HVAC company in Delaware County and is a third generation member of the Steamfitters Local union.

*Nche Zama, a heart surgeon living in the Poconos. He was born in Cameroon.

List and brief descriptions from:
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/p...f-3936824d2f18

This is a perfect example of what's wrong with PA Republicans, and the Republican Party in general. The Democrats would have decided internally which of a dozen or more candidates stood for party values and had the best chance of winning, and would have allowed the top three to proceed to the primary.

The muppets in charge of the PA Republican Party take the shotgun approach instead of the unified party approach, all but guaranteeing that the candidate that ultimately ends up on the November ballot is going to lose.

What they needed to do was find a liberal-leaning centrist candidate with broad bipartisan appeal who stood the strongest chance of garnering votes in state Dem strongholds, and who had the highest probability of getting conservative votes in the "red" rest of the state. But noooooo . . .

I refuse to believe that one or two of the Republican candidates could not have been "groomed" by an effective statewide Republican machine to appeal to the right voting demographics. If the Dems could do it, as they have done election after election, the Republican certainly could, if they wanted to.

Noah

[jthrelf]

This is a perfect example of what's wrong with PA Republicans, and the Republican Party in general. The Democrats would have decided internally which of a dozen or more candidates stood for party values and had the best chance of winning, and would have allowed the top three to proceed to the primary.

The muppets in charge of the PA Republican Party take the shotgun approach instead of the unified party approach, all but guaranteeing that the candidate that ultimately ends up on the November ballot is going to lose.

What they needed to do was find a liberal-leaning centrist candidate with broad bipartisan appeal who stood the strongest chance of garnering votes in state Dem strongholds, and who had the highest probability of getting conservative votes in the "red" rest of the state. But noooooo . . .

I refuse to believe that one or two of the Republican candidates could not have been "groomed" by an effective statewide Republican machine to appeal to the right voting demographics. If the Dems could do it, as they have done election after election, the Republican certainly could, if they wanted to.

Noah

Sigh.... Couldn't agree more.

[Walleye Hunter]

What about Dr. Oz?...

Mastriano would likely be the best 2A candidate, but we have to be honest and ask if he can win a general election.

I'm leaning toward Barletta. I think Corman wants background checks on private gun sales.

Oz is running for Senate.

I watched the debate. You can watch a replay here https://pcntv.com/election/

Nobody was overly impressive to me. Standouts were McSwain, Corman, Gale, and Martin. Big losers were Berger and Ventre.

The weirdest part was when most of the candidates stated they would pick Zama to be their LT Gov. Several just threw their hands up and said something to the effect of "I guess I'll pick Zama too".

I'll take any of them over Shapiro though. Even Berger - and that's saying something.

Thanks, I'll check that out.

[JenniferG]

A little soft on mail in voting issue but I like Joe Gale and will vote for him in the primary.

*Despite well-documented problems and concerns with mail-in voting dating back decades, Republicans in the Pennsylvania State House and State Senate joined forces with Democrat Governor Tom Wolf in 2019 to pass Act 77, Pennsylvania*s universal mail-in voting law, which allows for 50 days of no excuse mail-in voting. This is the longest vote-by-mail period in the entire nation and, frankly, nobody should be voting nearly two months before Election Day. It is called Election Day for a reason.

Unlike traditional absentee voting, Act 77 eliminates the requirement that a voter have a valid reason for requesting a mail-in ballot such as an illness, disability, work commitment or travel obligation that otherwise prevents said voter from casting a ballot in-person.


One State Senator who voted for Act 77, Doug *Mail-In* Mastriano, is now selling empty promises to repeal no-excuse mail-in voting. However, don*t be fooled, this is a publicity stunt designed to appease and distract conservatives who are rightly outraged that he voted to destroy the integrity of Pennsylvania*s elections and ultimately sabotage President Trump*s re-election:

http://www.joegale.com/

[Walleye Hunter]

Why don't any of them report how Act 77 is a violation of our state constitution?

[PickingPA]

Why don't any of them report how Act 77 is a violation of our state constitution?

[DoubleBarrels]

On first glance, none of these candidates has the appeal needed to win the populated electoral regions that count. Will need to see some high quality polling data first to confirm who has the best chance.

Mastriano is a “BIG LIE!” loser who isn’t even Trumpy enough with his support for Act 77 (LOL). He’ll be dropping out in no time. Gale also has zero chance. There are two you can count out.

My only guess would be Corman had the best chance as he has actually won every election he’s campaigned for, has a high enough profile and already has the campaign apparatus. Will he score another DUI on the campaign trail, though?

-DB

[PickingPA]

Governor debate tonight

Live stream here:

https://www.wkbn.com/live-stream/