Prominent Republicans shun GOP candidate for governor
I had a long conversation last year with former Congressman Charlie Dent about the sad demise of the Republican Party, and his involvement in a movement to resurrect it.
Dent, of Allentown, had just publicly announced he was among Republican officials looking to form a center-right party or faction.
“We can almost, while being affiliated with Republicans, operate as free agents and basically pick and choose our fights,” he told me then.
“If the candidate’s too QAnon or Trumpian ... reserve the right to go elsewhere.”
Dent and other open-minded members of the GOP made a wise decision to “go elsewhere” on Wednesday with their endorsement of Democrat Josh Shapiro for Pennsylvania governor.
Joining Dent in backing Shapiro are former Congressman Jim Greenwood of Bucks County; former state Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman of Montgomery County; former state Speaker of the House
Denny O’Brien of Philadelphia; former state Rep. Dave Steil of Bucks County; former state Rep. Lita Cohen of Montgomery County; former Lt. Gov. Robert Jubelirer of Blair County; former Montgomery County GOP Chair Ken Davis; and current Lawrence County Commissioner Morgan Boyd.
Will their shunning of Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, a state senator from Franklin County, make a difference?
Maybe. Maybe not. But give them credit for sticking their necks out to do what they believe is right. They are a credible group, and I hope their stand influences voters.
In their statement endorsing Shapiro, the state attorney general, the Republicans described Mastriano as dangerous, divisive and extreme.
They were being polite. Mastriano is a far-right radical. His proposed policies should scare voters of all political affiliations.
He wants to make all voters re-register. He wants to ban all abortions, even if the mother’s life is threatened by complications or if the pregnancy was caused by a rapist.
“Mastriano continues to fan the flames of division, doubling down on his threats to undermine our democracy and attacking anyone who dares to criticize him,” Greenwood said in a statement released Wednesday by Shapiro’s campaign.
“Pennsylvanians deserve better in our next governor, and that’s why I’m proud to endorse Josh Shapiro — a man of integrity who will not only defend the foundations of our democracy, but bring people together to serve Pennsylvania.”
Dent said in the statement that he is a lifelong Republican who always has supported the state’s Republican governors — but he can’t do it this time.
“Josh has integrity and always works to bring people together. We may not always agree on every policy position, but that is to be expected. His focus on improving our economy,
strengthening our schools, and keeping our communities safe is what Pennsylvania needs now. Doug Mastriano, on the other hand, is an extremist who is a threat to the rule of law and the constitutional order.”
Shapiro’s new GOP backers are not just endorsing him with words. They will form a political action committee to raise money, Republicans for Shapiro, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
And the movement isn’t limited to the GOP members who publicly endorsed Shapiro on Wednesday. The Inquirer reported that others are on board, including veterans of the administrations of former Republican governors Dick Thornburgh and Tom Ridge.
Mastriano and his supporters will shrug off these endorsements. They will label Shapiro’s GOP supporters as RINOs, Republicans In Name Only. They
will point to polls that show him neck-and-neck with Shapiro, indicating his popularity.
Dent and company shouldn’t be so easily dismissed. They aren’t the first to take a stand against what the GOP has disintegrated into.
Remember, some in the party establishment cringed when they realized Mastriano looked like a lock to win the nomination. They desperately tried to boost support for another candidate, former Congressman Lou Barletta. They failed.
Mastriano isn’t the first
GOP candidate that traditional supporters have turned on.
In 2020, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed 23 Democrats seeking reelection to Congress. It believed the business community would be better served by Democrats than Republicans. That’s telling.
If history holds, Republicans
should fare well in the November midterm election. The party not in the White House typically gains ground, as its voters seek to regain the power.
Midterm elections are considered a referendum on the first two years of the president’s term. This year, the election also may be a referendum on the future of the Republican Party.
If Republicans don’t gain significant ground nationally, and if they don’t win governorships in states such as Pennsylvania with Mastriano as their candidate, alarm bells should go off.
And we should thank Republicans like Dent for sounding that alarm with courageous action like they took Wednesday.