Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano has emerged as the winner from a crowded Republican primary for governor, according to a race call from The Associated Press.
A retired Army colonel, Mastriano has risen to prominence espousing far-right views directly to a homegrown network of online supporters. He’s also known for his support of a lie that widespread election fraud led to former President Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. For that, Mastriano received Trump’s endorsement.
The lawmaker from south-central Pennsylvania campaigned using a mix of stand-by Republican positions like lowering taxes and publicly funding private schools, as well as more extreme stances on issues like abortion. Mastriano supports banning the procedure after six weeks and introduced a bill to that effect in the state Senate.
He will face Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the fall.
Videos sourced by online sleuths months after Jan. 6, 2021, showed the state senator marching alongside protestors past an abandoned police barricade near the U.S. Capitol. Mastriano released a statement shortly after the videos were released affirming his attendance at the rally for Trump and subsequent march to the U.S. Capitol that day, but insists he followed the law in doing so.
Mastriano is among the sitting lawmakers who have been subpoenaed by a U.S. House committee that is investigating the U.S. Capitol attack.
