Mastriano, DelRosso Bring Campaign To Bucks County In Final Days

Republican gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Doug Mastriano is behind in the polls and having trouble raising the same amount of vital campaign funds as past GOP candidates, but he recently told a packed room of supporters he can beat Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The state senator looking to take the state’s top office held a campaign rally at in Bensalem Township last Thursday. The rally was streamed online.

The rally came amid the final days of the election, which has drawn national attention.

“The days of buying elections are over,” he said, referencing his difficultly fundraising.

Mastriano said he was going to “smoke [Shapiro] like a cheap cigar” and already planned a victory party.

The candidate said he hopes voters are still thinking about COVID-19 mitigation measures that have almost entirely ended and that President Donald Trump lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. He believes those issues with spur his supporters to the polls.

“Our charge is heavy. It’s a heavy burden,” Mastriano said. “Because only the future of our country is on our shoulders.”

Shapiro, according to Mastriano, would continue Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s policies. The former U.S. Army officer said he was upset over asks to stay home during the early months of the pandemic and also that some people were required by to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Mastriano, who tried to overturn the states presidential votes in 2020 because he was upset his candidate lost, urged people who question election results not to be depressed.

“Don’t be oppressed,” he told his supporters.

Mastriano said the state’s handling of returning kids to classrooms amid the pandemic was flawed. He said he would tackle the issue if elected.

The candidate also said he would stop kids from being “indoctrinated” by lessons that are “inappropriate in the classroom.”

Mastriano stated he supported election integrity and said there were already “strange things” happening in the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees the state’s election. He was referring to word from the department’s acting leader that election results might be delayed to mail-in ballots not being able to be tallied until the polls open.

Mastriano also called for Shapiro to stop calling him names.

Shapiro’s campaign, citing Mastriano’s comments and ties to controversial and antisemitic individuals, has called him an “extremist” numerous times over the campaign.

Mastriano blamed Shapiro, whose office handles numerous types of investigations and prosecutions, but doesn’t provide general municipal policing, for rising crime; an increase in drug overdoses; and sex trafficking in the state.

“Where’s Josh Shapiro?” he said.

Similar to previous stump speeches, Mastriano said that if elected, he would fight sex trafficking, “protect female athletes from being dominated by males,” not allow transgender students to use the locker room that aligns with their current sex, oppose new COVID-19 mitigation measures, stop “graphic pornography” in schools, have “the backs of our beautiful law enforcement officials,” grow gas and coal production, and fight inflation.

Mastriano made the bold promise of residents seeing energy costs decreasing on the day of the inauguration in January 2023 if he is elected. Aside from energy production expansion, he said pulling out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would lower prices. However, it was not fully explained how that decision would quickly lower prices by inauguration day.

The candidate also promised to not force kids to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Wolf administration and Shapiro haven’t said or indicated they plan to mandate the vaccine for kids, but federal health officials have recommended kids get vaccinated without imposing a mandate.

“The parents will have the last word,” Mastriano said, adding it is up to parents to decide.

An audience member called out that the vaccines are being pushed to kill kids.

“They should hang,” one audience member yelled out.

Mastriano called for stripping down the number of state regulations.

The candidate complained that journalists are unfair to him and claimed reporters go easy of Shapiro and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is running as a Democrat for U.S. Senate.

Mastriano told the group of 100 to 200 supporters that him and his wife, Rebbie, are ready for the responsibility of governor’s office. He said recent governors haven’t been worthy of the office.

Kim Koutsouradis, the chairperson of the Lower Southampton Township Board of Supervisors and a former Neshaminy School Board member, rallied for Mastrinao and helped organize the rally.

“Not one of us here are happy with the decline during the current administration,” he said.

Don Beishl, a Middletown Township conservative talk radio show host who helps lead Mastriano’s campaign in the Philadelphia region, celebrated the turnout for the event.

“Josh may have all the money, but we got all the people,” he said of the number of supporters at the rally. “At the end, we will walk as free people.”

Following the Bensalem Township event, Mastriano stopped by a pre-election rally in Warwick Township hosted by conservative group Right For Bucks.

On Sunday, State Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and Mastriano’s running mate, took part in a voter canvas in Falls Township’s Levittown section.

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