More Republicans back Josh Shapiro for Pennsylvania governor
2022/08/30 11:14 (EDT)
PHILADELPHIA — The ranks of Republicans rejecting State Sen. Doug Mastriano, their party’s nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, grew this week as a former national security Cabinet member and a former Trump administration lawyer endorsed the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Michael Chertoff, who served as secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009 under then-President George W. Bush, said he considers Mastriano “a real threat to the values of the rule of law” because Mastriano has pushed lies about the 2020 presidential election and was present at the U.S. Capitol as the Jan. 6, 2021, riot unfolded.
Chertoff, a former federal judge and former assistant attorney general, said he has been following the news about Mastriano’s positions.
“I know what he’s articulated,” he said. “It’s not much of a mystery. He’s not hiding his views. He’s in fact courting people who think we should revisit the 2020 election.”
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Seven former GOP officials — including former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and former Allegheny County state Rep. Jim Kelly — said they’ll support Mr. Shapiro, the state’s Democratic nominee, in the 2022 election.
Mr. Chertoff was the second secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush. Mr. Kelly was a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House who represented parts of Allegheny County in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Each of these former GOP officials is bucking their party’s candidate, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin. Mr. Mastriano has been criticized for his acceptance of extreme groups, including his campaign’s payment to social media site Gab, which is a known outlet for white nationalists and was used by the man charged with killing 11 practicing Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 — the most deadly antisemitic attack on U.S. soil.
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In addition to Chertoff and Kelly, the Post-Gazette mentions: "Other endorsers include former GOP state Reps. Mario Civera (Delaware County), David Heckler (Bucks County), Raymond Bunt Jr. (Montgomery County), Beverly Mackereth (York County) and J. Scot Chadwick (Bradford County)."
That's quite a bandwagon going for Josh Shapiro!
