![]() “The left are just nasty, terrible people. “In November we are going to take our state back, my God will make it so,” he said.Īs for Democrats and the media, Mastriano talks about them with contempt, channeling what many on the right feel. We have nothing to be afraid of,” he told supporters at a recent rally. “We're standing on the side of righteousness. And there is no doubt in Mastriano’s mind about who is good and who is evil. “We are in a spiritual war,” he said in 2020. For example, he describes politics as a cosmic battle between forces of good and evil, darkness and light. ![]() He’s guiding and directing our steps.”īut Mastriano now needs to win over suburban voters who are likely to be turned off by his approach to faith and politics. “We have Jesus Christ that we’re serving here. “We have the power of God with us,” he said at a rally in April. Mastriano does talk about his Christian faith in more explicit terms than the average politician, which is part of his appeal to his core supporters. The Mastriano campaign did not respond to a question about whether he still rejects the label. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has embraced the term and called on other Republicans to do so. Mastriano does not talk about theocracy, though he has said the separation of church and state is a “myth.” And he has rejected the Christian nationalist label as recently as a year ago, unlike Rep. Mastriano and his wife, Rebecca, lower their heads in prayer during a rally. Mastriano could undermine the 2024 election by refusing to recognize legitimate results based on more unproved or even debunked claims of fraud, and that he might even support an effort to send an alternate slate of fake electors to Congress in a contested election. His history of promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies has extra significance in Pennsylvania, a swing state where governors appoint their own secretaries of state.ĭemocracy advocates of all stripes worry that a Gov. The argument against Mastriano begins with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his presence at the assault on the U.S. One of his GOP rivals said he “ comes across as a cult guy.” His critics paint him as a fringe figure. He laughs a lot and rarely raises his voice.Ī campaign digital ad shows Mastriano bear-hugging a child, a huge smile on his face, with the words “It’s about love, hope, freedom, life, and a future for our children.” He is affable and casts himself as a reluctant politician. They see him as a patriotic combat veteran and retired military officer who has a PhD in history and who speaks plainly and often about his Christian faith. To his supporters, Mastriano is not all that complicated. Mastriano has distanced himself from Gab and he says he should not be judged by who he associates with, but rather by his own words and actions. Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano speaks at an event at the state Capitol in Harrisburg on July 1.
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