Candidate Doug Mastriano addressing his supporters in Warminster Township on Saturday afternoon.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor, brought his campaign to Bucks County Saturday as part of his celebration of visiting all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
At The Fuge in Warminster Township, several hundred Mastriano supporters from across Bucks County and the region gathered to hear the candidate and his wife push forward their effort to win the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.
Down in the polls against Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro and having trouble raising significant campaign cash, Mastriano, of Franklin County, said he has a solid shot at winning and the national pundits and journalists that have pointed to weaknesses in his campaign are wrong.
“We can win. We must win. We will win, because this is the Keystone State,” he told a cheering crowd. “The future of our country for us and our kids is in our hands. We get to choose who our governor is going to be. This is the most important race in the nation this year.”
Mastriano pointed to Pennsylvania’s importance as a political bellwether state. He said a Republican win in 2022 would bode well for the 2024 presidential race.
Mastriano, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, didn’t make many mentions of Trump, but he did talk about many of his key issues, like border security, inner-city crime, and culture war matters.
Mastriano said crime is worse in Philadelphia than what he saw while he served as a soldier in Afghanistan. He also highlighted the uptick in shootings in Pennsylvania’s largest city.
The candidate for the state’s highest office said, if elected, he would institute a rule that “no boys in the girl’s bathroom,” and then called himself a “radical feminist.” He said Pennsylvania would not become a radical state and immigrants in the state illegally would be bused, with a “beautiful” Pennsylvania State Police escort, to President Joe Biden’s residence in Delaware.
Mastriano said his administration would “go after sex traffickers and break their backs and destroy them.” He noted his wife, Rebbie, assisted a woman who was trafficked in their home county.
The candidate said he would fight against allowing transgender athletes participating in sports on teams that aren’t the same gender as their sex at birth.
The Republican said he would ban pole dancing in schools, “pornographic books that are in elementary schools,” and critical race theory.
“Josh Shapiro is in the pocket of that radical, far-left wing school union that is spreading all kinds of propaganda about me,” he said, noting he supported increasing school funding statewide by $850 million while in the state senate.
Mastriano has stated in the past that he wants to decrease per-student spending in the state from $19,000 to $9,000 to $10,000 per student, which has drawn the ire of education advocates and the state teachers’ union.
Mastriano chided Shapiro for supporting masking in the early months of the pandemic and highlighted the attorney general’s office’s court fights to defend COVID-19 mitigation measures.
“The guy is wreck. He’s an amateur, and he’s a complete loser,” Mastriano told the crowd.
Mastriano was focused at points during his speech on Shapiro’s height, while highlighting what he saw as “far-left” policy failures by the Democrat.
Mastriano promised to “radically” reform the state’s foster care system, slash regulations by more than 53,000, and get rid of property taxes.
“You wonder why life sucks so much and we’re not open for business,” he told the crowd.
The candidate stated he would make his agenda reality through legislation, urging his supporters to vote for GOP candidates for the state House and Senate.
Mastriano celebrated Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ leadership in Florida and said he would make Pennsylvania a “little Florida.”
“It’s going to be a new day in Pennsylvania,” he said. “Pennsylvania will once again be that shining city on the hill.”
The rally featured a heavy emphasis on conservative Christianity. Pastor Dave Damiani, of Towamencin, Montgomery County, called on his peers to become more involved in politics and called Mastriano “the real deal.”
Mastriano, a retired army officer, has weaved Christian symbolism heavily into his campaign. He has also drawn criticism for his calls for mixing religion into government and association with a man who runs a social media platform known for anti-Semitic beliefs.
Last week, the candidate promoted 40 days of fasting and prayer ahead of Election Day. The campaign said the abstaining from food would help with restoring “true liberty, as an integral part of the strategy to win the general election in November.”
Jack Posobiec, a political operative, commentator, and prominent conspiracy theorist, was greeted with applause at the event and celebrated Mastriano.
Posobiec, who grew up in Norristown, Montgomery County, said Shapiro’s time as a state lawmaker, Montgomery County Commissioner, and state attorney general was a failure.
“We understand there’s so much a governor can do,” Posobiec said, urging Republicans to vote for Mastriano.
Posobiec said reporters were wrong by pointing out Mastriano’s campaign was having trouble raising money and drawing crowds at some events. He said the polls that show Mastriano trailing Shapiro were wrong and didn’t see the large crowds for the candidate on Saturday in Bucks and Chester counties.
“We are going to take Pennsylvania back,” he said.
Jamie Walker, a New Britain Township activist motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures in schools, spoke to the crowd and vowed her support for Mastriano. She told the crowd she was a Democrat, but she supports Mastriano after the COVID-19 mitigation measures in schools.
“Pennsylvania parents will never back down when it comes to our children,” she said, calling Shapiro the “embodiment of the Democrat assault on our rights.”
Prior to rally, Mastriano held a VIP reception, but he quickly left after the rally as supporters tried to get his attention to talk to him, shake his hand, or grab a selfie.
The candidate then went a firearm group’s event at a Warminster Township park. The event drew some scrutiny because guns were being raffled at the park with playgrounds and basketball courts nearby.
Michelle G., a Lower Bucks County resident who attended the event, said she supports Mastriano and his running mate, Carrie DelRosso, because of their stances on ending COVID-19 closures and stopping teachers from “indoctrinating” students.
“He says what I am passionate about,” she said.
When asked about polls that consistently show Mastriano behind Shapiro, the woman stated she thought the polls were biased and the crowd at Saturday’s event showed he has a large base of support.
“I think he has good ideas for not only the state, county, and townships, but the country too,” said Mike Morris, a former Neshaminy School Board member from Middletown Township.
Warren Mata, a resident of Royersford, Montgomery County who is a Bristol Township native, said he came to the rally because he wanted to learn more about the candidates running for office. He is also planning to attend rallies for Shapiro and Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman, the two candidates running for U.S. Senate.
“I want to see each of the candidates first-hand,” he said.
While attack ads only tell you the bad, Mata felt it was important to hear from Mastriano and Shapiro in person and look past the attack ads as he makes his decision.
The rally was warmed up with the RightForBucks Band, which is fronted by Trump-supporting former candidate for Congress Andy Meehan. The group performed rock-n-roll parody hits about Biden’s son Hunter and the COVID-19 vaccine.
At an open-to-the-public rally featuring Mastriano in May at The Fuge, media was blocked from attending, but the Mastriano campaign allowed media to access Saturday’s rally.
Following the rally, a man was shouting at Mastriano’s supporters leaving about God and called on them to get on their knees to repent. He also yelled about Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post, and his podcast. The man, who appeared agitated, blocked a reporter’s car and directed those leaving the rally to assist him before he relented and warned everyone would know his name one day.
See also:
In Suburban Philly Campaign Stops, Mastriano Drags Shapiro, Wolf for Pandemic Policies
Primary 2022: Doug Mastriano Wins GOP Nomination for Governor, Will Face Democrat Josh Shapiro
Pa. Election 2022: A Basic Guide to Vetting Candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, and More
