Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and his wife Rebecca wave and cheer on supporters as they make a stop at Kirby Park’s Martz Pavilion on Friday afternoon ahead of next week’s primary election.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
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Supporters for Doug Mastriano, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania, wait in line for a photo with Mastriano and his wife Rebecca on Friday at Kirby Park.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Republican Pennsylvania governor hopeful Doug Mastriano addresses supporters with his wife Rebecca looking on at the Martz Pavilion at Kirby Park on Friday afternoon.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Doug Mastriano, right, chats with David Regan, of Jessup, an Iraq war veteran, at Kirby Park on Friday afternoon.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lori Andrukaitis, right, of Miners Mills, poses for a photo with Doug and Rebecca Mastriano at Kirby Park.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Doug Mastriano did not mince his words while he addressed the gathered crowd at Kirby Park Friday afternoon.
“Pennsylvania should be the light of freedom for around the nation and the entire world,” he said from under the Martz Pavilion. “So many important things happened in Pennsylvania, I’ll say most of the key moments in American history.”
He queried the audience, “The government derives its consent from whom?”
In unison nearly all in attendance responded, “The people.”
“The consent of the people,” Mastriano repeated, continuing, “And we clearly did not consent to the overreach over the last few years.”
He reflected on current Gov. Tom Wolf’s policies over the duration of COVID-19, calling many of the stories he’s heard “heartbreaking,” as he mentioned folks being denied unemployment, even though they were deemed non-essential, and then wondering how they would feed their families.
“I know growing up that every job I worked was essential for me,” Mastriano reflected.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Pennsylvania became the first state to limit its governor’s power during last year’s primary. He was referring to the constitutional amendments made to restrict the governor’s emergency powers after many found themselves displeased with how the governor’s office was handling the situation. Mastriano called Wolf’s policies, “confusing and conflicting.”
As he continued to highlight Pennsylvania’s rich history in democracy and in establishing the nation, he reflected on Gettysburg, honoring the 50,000 lives lost there. And on the subject of the Civil War, tying into today’s political climate, he said, “We never ever want a Civil War again in our country. Never ever. We could disagree politically. Let’s deal with that at the ballot box and not the ammo box.”
The point?
If Mastriano, the gubernatorial Republican front-runner, gets the nod in Tuesday’s primaries, he expects a “huge victory on Nov. 8,” which he hopes to use to return power in the state to the people.
His wife, Rebecca, or ‘Rebbie’ as he called her, expounded on that thought as she said, “We want to be here to serve the people. We’re not here to serve ourselves.” She mentioned the long hours worked by Mastriano and his staff, 12 to 18 hour days, to assist people in crisis. She shared the story of one particular individual who was considering suicide given their desperate circumstances, and how a staff member of Mastriano’s was able to talk the person down, so to speak.
Mastriano also mentioned the “beating” he took for his stance on the integrity of voting and said that he still wants to find out what happened in 2020.
He spoke on “holding everybody accountable. Whether you agree with them – left or right – should be irrelevant,” he said. And for that stance, he said that he was attacked. “Which is a ridiculous to say to somebody who served the country for 30 years in uniform,” he mentioned, pointing to his 30 years of service in the Army, where he earned the rank of Colonel.
While speaking with reporters, Mastriano, who is up in the polls “eight to twelve points” was asked for his thoughts on other Republicans, such as Jake Corman, who dropped out and endorsed Lou Barletta for Governor.
“I think it’s an effort by the Swamp to strike back,” he said. “Sadly, there’s a propensity for politics in PA where there’s an elite ruling class of folks that do this for a living, that have been in politics most of their adult life, that they wanna pick a candidate that’s maybe predictable, reliable, malleable. Obviously, we are not going to be bought.”
He further explained that after his time in the military, he had a “sweet job lined up to ride off into the sunset,” however, he couldn’t allow himself to do that. “I really do stand with the people. I believe in our country,” he said.
Regardless of who one might be voting for, Mastriano offered encouragement to those who might otherwise be apathetic to politics or who don’t believe their vote matters: “That’s the worst thing you could do. Please don’t stand aside. Please get out and vote.”