Mastriano’s statements showed why not running for senate was a good choice
Christopher Tremoglie
Pennsylvania Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano shocked many Republican voters Thursday night by announcing he would not run for the United States Senate.
While I find this a welcomed relief, it was a bit shocking given his recent 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election campaign. Instead, Mastriano will remain in Harrisburg, where, he insisted, he could accomplish more good than in Washington, D.C.
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“At this time, we have decided not to run for Senate but to continue to serve in Harrisburg,” Mastriano said during a video on Facebook Live on Thursday. “So I know for some, that’ll be disappointing. For others, it won’t be disappointing because you’re like, ‘Who’s going to fill his seat? Who’s going to be our voice in Harrisburg?’… Whoever is that nominee, I will support them,” Mastriano said.
It was a pragmatic and humble statement by Mastriano. But shortly after these comments, he showed the delusion that made many not want to vote for him.
He compared himself to pre-presidency Abraham Lincoln, drawing on the string of defeats he suffered before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Moreover, he then brought up crowd sizes at rallies and claimed that he drew “record-breaking crowds” while his opponent (and eventual winner) “couldn’t draw flies.”
But Mastriano’s claims were a false sense of reality — a big problem for him during his campaign.
For all the “record-breaking” crowds Mastriano claimed he had, none of that mattered on Election Day when Shapiro won in a landslide. Former President Donald Trump had massive political rallies in 2016 and 2020 and didn’t win the popular vote in either election. Additionally, former Congressman Ron Paul had big crowds at rallies during his 2012 presidential campaign only to lose the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney.
Rally sizes have little to do with electoral success. For whatever reason, it is a lesson that Republicans have had difficulty learning. And it’s apparently something that Mastriano still has not realized.
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But whether it was silly comparisons to Lincoln or irrelevant claims of crowd sizes during his campaign, the main issue was Mastriano’s penchant for significantly underdelivering at the ballot box. In many ways, he was a legend only in his mind.
And while he had every right to run for office, thankfully, someone around him convinced him it was best not to do so for the Republican nomination for Senate in 2024.