Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

A Trump aide says Pa. Republicans should back Doug Mastriano for governor — but that’s not a Trump endorsement

Several Republican candidates for Pennsylvania governor have hired former Trump aides and touted endorsements from those in his circle.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin).
Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin).Read moreMatt Rourke / AP

Former President Donald Trump’s spokesperson is weighing in on the Pennsylvania governor’s race — but Trump himself is staying quiet for now.

Liz Harrington threw her support behind State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin) this week, calling him “the type of leader our country needs.”

“Mastriano has to win just to bring some dignity back to Pennsylvania,” Harrington said at a campaign event Tuesday night in Lancaster County, according to a YouTube video promoted by the campaign.

» READ MORE: Doug Mastriano is subpoenaed by the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Mastriano was a leading figure in Trump’s effort to overturn Joe Biden’s victory — a record that Harrington said compared favorably to Democratic front-runner Josh Shapiro, the state attorney general. There’s no evidence of any significant fraud in the election, and the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that the election lies inspired has subpoenaed Mastriano for documents and testimony.

“Another reason we need a Mastriano vs. Shapiro [general election] is because we have one man who helped steal the election and another who helped try to stop it,” Harrington said, wrongly accusing Shapiro of trying to steal the election.

“These people who always say, ‘Oh we can’t talk about November 2020 anymore, we gotta move on to the future’ — that’s nice and all, but there’s not much of a future left,” she said.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Harrington said she was speaking for herself, not Trump.

“President Trump hasn’t yet made an endorsement in that race,” she said.

» READ MORE: Republicans are courting Trump’s support for Pa. governor — very carefully

Including Mastriano, 10 Republicans submitted signatures this week to get on the ballot for the May 17 primary election. A Fox News poll this month found the field was led by former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, followed by Mastriano, former Delaware County Councilman Dave White, and former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain.

A plurality of voters, 25%, remain undecided.

Several candidates have hired former Trump aides and touted endorsements from those in his circle.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s second term ends in January 2023.