PA Republican officials are furious with Trump

Pennsylvania Republicans and election officials are growing increasingly furious with Donald Trump over his attacks on the vote-counting in the exceedingly close GOP Senate primary race between Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

With election results from last Tuesday likely headed to a recount, the former president has raged at the state while urging Oz, whom he endorsed, to just declare victory and move on.

In one blast since election day, the former president has raged on his Truth Social social media platform, "The Pennsylvania Oz race is ridiculous. How long does it take to count votes. France, same day all paper, had VERIFIED numbers in evening. U.S. is a laughingstock on Elections. Stop FINDING VOTES in PENNSYLVANIA! RIGGED?”

That has Republicans in the state shaking their heads and worrying that he will also interfere with the vote counts in November causing even more headaches for them.

RELATED: 'Stop finding votes!' Trump rages against election being 'rigged' against Dr. Oz

According to the Post Gazette, "In the too-close-to-call Republican Senate primary race in Pennsylvania, the aura of former President Donald Trump and his claims of election legitimacy, once again hang over the state," adding, "The dynamic reflects how, following the precedent set in 2020, close elections may face scrutiny and doubt even when there is no evidence to support wrongdoing or error. Election officials in Pennsylvania are girding for similar complaints in November but fear there are few ways to combat deliberate misinformation and rising political toxicity."

After noting, "Republicans in Pennsylvania have recoiled at language from Mr. Trump that they say could undermine the legitimacy of the party’s nominee in the November vote," the Post Gazette's Colby Itkowitz and Rosalind Helderman spoke with Seth Bluestein, a Republican city commissioner in Philadelphia who expressed dismay with Trump's meddling.

“It’s concerning because it’s statements like that that lead to threats against election officials. It’s the same game plan he used in 2020, so I’m not surprised,” he explained. “The most important thing we can do is be as transparent as possible, continue to build those relationships so there is a degree of trust between us and the people observing the election.”

Jackie Kulback, chairwoman of the Cambria County Republicans, admitted that she thought there was some "mischief" in the 2020 presidential election vote counting but that she sees no problem with R Tuesday's primary election.

“All I can say is from my vantage point, I could not have been prouder of my election board and every person who was working. I saw a group of people who were truly diligent and trying to do what was right,” she confessed.

Dave Ball, chairman of the Washington County Republicans, was less circumspect when addressing Trump's complaints.

“I’m flabbergasted. When somebody who advocates that everybody needs to get their votes out and their opponents are cheating, and now he is talking about his own party?” he complained.“When the president says let’s cut it off here because I like the number here, so let’s stop, I don’t understand the point of making statements like that.”

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