Other Republicans told NBC News they’ll just abstain from voting in the governor’s race — warning signs for Mastriano that he’s struggling to broaden his support in one of the country’s tightest swing states.
Mastriano, a state senator, has been slow to reach out for the support of his former primary rivals. He refuses to talk to most of the local or national media, limiting himself to conservative media outlets, where he talks about abortion restrictions and unfounded election fraud claims.
“Most Republicans recognize this is an uphill slog,” said Phil English, a Republican former member of Congress who hasn’t publicly endorsed a candidate in the governor’s race. “Republicans are looking to Mastriano to appeal outside his base and show an awareness of what a Republican candidate for governor needs to win. But he doesn’t enjoy any of the traditional base-broadening qualities for successful statewide campaigns.”…
“Both these races should be slam dunks given the climate, but thanks to Donald Trump and some idiots in our party, we have set up the possibility of losing them both,” said Jeff Piccola, a former state representative who resigned as the York County Republican Party chairman partly because of Mastriano’s ascent.
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