What to Know
- Republican state senator Doug Mastriano conceded the Pennsylvania governor's race to his Democratic opponent Josh Shapiro several days after Shapiro was projected as the winner by NBC News.
- Shapiro’s victory over Mastriano is a pivotal win for Democrats in Pennsylvania. The veto pen of outgoing, term-limited Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has kept the Republican-controlled state legislature from passing laws that forward conservative priorities stricter abortion restrictions and looser gun laws.
- During the race, Shapiro fashioned himself an unabashed supporter of reproductive rights, vowing to protect abortion in Pennsylvania at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the federal right to the procedure.
Republican state senator Doug Mastriano conceded the Pennsylvania governor's race to his Democratic opponent Josh Shapiro several days after Shapiro was projected as the winner by NBC News.
Mastriano made the announcement on Twitter and Facebook early Sunday evening.
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Shapiro’s victory over state senator Doug Mastriano was a pivotal win for Democrats in Pennsylvania. The veto pen of outgoing, term-limited Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has kept the Republican-controlled state legislature from passing laws that forward conservative priorities like stricter abortion restrictions and looser gun laws.
During the race, Shapiro fashioned himself an unabashed supporter of reproductive rights, vowing to protect abortion in Pennsylvania at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the federal right to the procedure.
Election Results 2022
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Decision 2022
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Meanwhile, Mastriano pushed for a ban on abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy while in the state Senate.
Mastriano took a hardline stance on the practice, saying it shouldn’t be allowed even in cases of rape or incest or if the health of the parent is at risk due to the pregnancy. In a 2019 interview, he said that women should be charged with murder if they violated his proposed abortion ban.
On guns, Mastriano vowed to make Pennsylvania a “Constitutional Carry State” and a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” As a state senator, Mastriano has cosponsored legislation that would criminalize state and local officials for cooperating with any federal agencies in enforcing any new federal gun restrictions. Another bill he cosponsored would make it optional to get a gun license and would allow people to carry loaded guns without a permit; the bill contained exceptions for people who are “prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law or the laws of this commonwealth.”
By contrast, one of Shapiro’s hallmarks as Pennsylvania Attorney General was his office’s attempts to crack down on “ghost guns,” which are generally homemade firearms that are often sold in kits and have no serial number, making them difficult to trace. He is a supporter of universal background checks and of stronger “red flag” laws, which generally allow law enforcement to remove guns from people who may pose an immediate threat to themselves or others.
His opponent first gained a following by leading anti-shutdown rallies during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, then became among former President Trump’s most dedicated supporters during the 2020 campaign.
He worked with Trump to overturn the result and organized bus trips to the U.S. Capitol for Trump’s Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally, where he was later seen in footage with his wife passing through breached barricades set up by Capitol Police.
Mastriano’s hardline stances and conspiratorial views in July prompted nine fellow Pennsylvania Republicans to break from their party and back Shapiro.
