How a surprising Democratic strategy may have staved off the midterm red wave
VoxDec 23, 2022
The Facts
On Sunday, Pennsylvania Republican state Senator Doug Mastriano, who was endorsed by former Pres. Trump, issued a one-page statement conceding his defeat in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race to AG Josh Shapiro, five days after the race was called.
Mastriano received 2.2M votes of 41.9% to Shapiro’s 3M votes, which equaled 56.3%.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
What a great victory for democracy. First, many of the county’s biggest deniers of the 2020 election were outright rejected by voters in 2022. Second, their conspiracy theories turned out to be nothing more than bluster, as they all eventually conceded traditionally, even if it took Mastriano a few days longer than others.
Republican narrative
Mastriano might’ve been too far right to win a statewide election this time around. However, his campaign highlighted vital questions about the state’s election laws that must be reformed, and the GOP rallied around that issue. While continuing his role as a state Senator, he could help to reform that flawed system.
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