In a column for the Bulwark, conservative commentator and former Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) advisor Amanda Carpenter scorched Republican Pennsylvania governor candidate Doug Mastriano over his plans to upend how the state conducts elections should he win in November.
According to the conservative columnist, the Donald Trump-endorsed Mastriano has been one of the leading proponents of conspiracy theories about mass 2020 election fraud -- for which there is no evidence at all -- and that his proposals reek of ways to disenfranchise voters and make it easier for Republicans to win in the highly contested state.
As she notes, his platform is larded with voting recommendations that could result in chaos if implemented.
"Although Mastriano evades scrutiny by blockading typical media interviews, with some help from his insurrection-friendly friends, he doesn’t hesitate to talk about his plans when he feels comfortable. Put those snippets together, and it shows Mastriano has a pretty well-thought-out election takeover plan in mind," she wrote before ticking off his suggestions including, "appointing a fellow 2020 election-denier to be secretary of state who could enable him to decertify every voting machine 'with a stroke of a pen,'" and "loosening restrictions on poll watchers to make it easier to challenge votes."
"Unlike many other states where the secretary of state is an elected position, in Pennsylvania, the governor gets to make an appointment for the position. Mastriano already has his pick in mind and, although he hasn’t provided a name, he has teased that with this appointment and his powers, he could 'decertify every machine in the state with a stroke of a pen via the secretary of state,'" she explained before pointing out the GOP wants to make all Pennsylvanians re-register if they want to vote.
"Federal voting laws prohibit such a practice, but that doesn’t deter Mastriano from campaigning on it and may not prevent Governor Mastriano from trying it—and creating a massive tangle of legal problems in the face of looming election deadlines," Carpenter continued before warning that the danger is real that he could be elected.
"Only a few months ago, Mastriano was considered a long shot to win the nomination, but under the radar, he cultivated a devoted grassroots following, largely propelled by social media, and overtook his opponents in the primary by an overwhelming margin," she warned. "Mastriano did it all by riding on Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. Why? Because he sees a path for Republicans like him to win, no matter what, up ahead."
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