(WHTM) - Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano in the Pennsylvania Governor race.
Mastriano, a vocal supporter of former President Trump, has led in recent polls. Despite Mastriano's double-digit lead, Trump's endorsement comes at a time when the candidate faces Pennsylvania Republicans voicing concern, and reportedly working to stop his surge ahead.
Senate Pro Tempore Jake Corman dropped from the governor's race on Thursday and endorsed candidate Lou Barletta in an attempt to coalesce around candidates Republicans believe can win in the general election.
On the campaign trail, Mastriano has vowed to eliminate “all pandemic executive orders and edicts" implemented by outgoing Governor Tom Wolf.
In February Mastriano was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee for allegedly being "part of a plan to arrange for an “alternate” slate of electors from Pennsylvania for former President Trump and reportedly spoke with President Trump about post-election activities.”
The committee released its letter to Mastriano saying they “understand that (Mastriano was) present during the attack” and that he witnessed attacks on officers.
During Nexstar’s Republican Gubernatorial debate on April 28, Mastriano stated “there are no legal issues” regarding him and the Jan. 6 committee.
In April Trump slammed Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill McSwain, who served as his U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Trump claimed the former federal prosecutor did “absolutely nothing” to investigate Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud after Democrat Joe Biden won the state in 2020.
“One person in Pennsylvania who I will not be endorsing is Bill McSwain for Governor. He was the U.S. Attorney who did absolutely nothing on the massive Election Fraud that took place in Philadelphia and throughout the commonwealth,” Trump said in a statement. “Do not vote for Bill McSwain, a coward, who let our Country down. He knew what was happening and let it go.”
Trump’s false claims of a stolen election have been debunked by the courts, his own Justice Department, and numerous recounts, and no prosecutor, judge, or election official in Pennsylvania has raised a concern about widespread fraud.
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Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor.
Trump has already endorsed celebrity surgeon and former TV host Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary
In 2018, Barletta was the Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in race he lost to incumbent Senator Bob Casey Jr. by over 600,000 votes.
In the race for the gubernatorial nomination, the former congressman has seen his name towards the top of the leader board in recently published polls.
Barletta was recently endorsed by former gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman, who had hired Trump's former advisor Kellyanne Conway to help his own campaign.
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