Doug Mastriano is considering another run for Pennsylvania governor in 2026
Doug Mastriano, a state senator from Pennsylvania, is mulling over a second run at governor of Pennsylvania in 2026. This could lead to rematches with Democratic Governor. Josh Shapiro beat Mastriano in the last election by almost 15 percentage points.
Mastriano, R., Franklin, told The Inquirer Tuesday that he is “definitely” considering another run for governor. He said he spent some time trying to determine what went wrong with his failed 2022 campaign, in which he was unable to get the support of the Republican establishment, raised very little money and refused to speak to mainstream media outlets.
Shapiro will be up for re-election in 2026. He remains remarkably popular in the swing states that voted in November for Donald Trump. Shapiro’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Mastriano, who believes that he can do this with Shapiro at the top after learning from the 2024 election, thinks it is possible. Shapiro broke the record for campaign spending in Pennsylvania in 2022.
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One other Republican, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania (R), has also indicated that he will run for governor in the year 2026. He said he was considering it. Stacy Garrity, who received more votes than any other candidate in Pennsylvania’s history for a statewide position in November, hasn’t ruled out running.
Mastriano’s most important lesson from the recent election is that Republican candidates must embrace mail voting in order to win statewide, after disparaging it previously. He believes he can win by using mail voting even without the GOP establishment’s support.
Mastriano stated, “I think I concentrated too much on the establishment, which is where I failed. “I lost the mail-in vote. My team and I did not accept this new reality. “That’s when we blew it.
In 2020, Trump’s attacks against mail-in ballots deterred Republican vote in that year, but by 2024, Republicans increased mail voting among their voter base.
“It is a fact we must accept.” Mastriano, who appeared to be acknowledging Trump’s loss in the 2020 election for the first-time, said that if Trump hadn’t embraced the reality last year, then he would have lost again. “That’s how I’ll win.” I will not win if the establishment gets on board. “I’ll win because we’ll figure out the mail-in voting thing.”
Mastriano referred to the path taken by the late Governor. Bob Casey Sr. was a Democrat, who ran for governor four times before winning in 1986. He served two terms.
Mastriano, on the other hand, is looking to the positives: he won the highest number of votes in the contest between Shapiro and Mastriano in the high-turnout contest. Mastriano thinks that this number will increase if mail voting becomes a reality in 2026.
Mastriano said that he spent years cultivating goodwill with Pennsylvania’s Republican Establishment, including State Sen. Greg Rothman, (R. Dauphin), who is the new chair of the state party, and U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, (R. Pa.). He said that he attended the Pennsylvania GOP dinner alongside Rothman and other grassroots leaders, as well as establishment leaders.
Mastriano stated, “I am confident that because of the work we have done with Greg Rothman and Dave McCormick, and by showing goodwill there, we will get their support for sure after the primary of both the establishment, and not face the challenges we faced.”
Rothman said in a press release that Mastriano was “very helpful” in his campaign to become Chairman of the PA GOP. He did not mention whether he would support Mastriano if he were to officially enter the race.
Rothman stated in a press release that “we are focused on ensuring the infrastructure is in order to elect a Republican governor in 2026.” “But winning the judicial races in 2020 is where it all begins.”
Mastriano had considered running against McCormick for the U.S. Senate Primary, but decided to back McCormick. McCormick’s spokesperson did not respond immediately to a comment request.
Mastriano, an ex-U.S. Army Colonel with top secret clearance, gained a following for his opposition to business closures during the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic. This support continued to grow even after the 2020 presidential elections as Mastriano promoted Trump’s false allegations that Pennsylvania’s electoral results were rigged.
Mastriano is still a Trump supporter, and has woken up “with a smile every morning” since the inauguration of President Trump. He believes his potential candidacy reflects Pennsylvanians’ enthusiasm for Trump.
He has modeled his recent legislation after Trump’s executive action, including a bill that he is currently working on and was inspired by Elon Musk Department of Government Efficiency. The Pennsylvania version of this commission would be led by the legislature branch and row officers.
He has also been preparing legislation that will allow residents access to ivermectin – an anti-malaria and dewormer, which right-wing commentators promoted as a COVID-19 treatment during the early stages of the pandemic.
Mastriano is also a Christian nationalist and opposes all abortions, with exceptions made for rape or incest.
The state GOP declined in 2022 to endorse candidates for the U.S. Senate or gubernatorial races. The result was a nine-candidate GOP ballot for governor, which was favorable to Mastriano. He had gained name recognition for his 2020 election and anti-lockdown efforts.
Democrats considered Mastriano’s far-right views to be an easier opponent for the general election. Shapiro ran an ad during the GOP primary because he did not have a primary opponent at the time. He wanted to make sure he faced the right-wing Senator in the general election.
The Republican leadership predicted, too late, that Mastriano’s chances of winning a statewide general election were slim. They tried to stop him by attempting to unite behind one candidate at the eleventh hour. This failed, and Mastriano won 44% in the primary.
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