On Monday, WHYY reported that many suburban voters in Pennsylvania — even some who backed former President Donald Trump — are hesitant to support GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, whom they see as an extremist.
One of the key reasons, according to the report, is Mastriano's position on abortion, which he would theoretically be able to put into action in light of the Supreme Court's decision to eliminate the judicial protections in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
"Mastriano, a state senator, opposes abortion under all circumstances. His Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, says he wants to maintain Pennsylvania’s current law: Abortion is legal up to about 24 weeks of gestation, with later-term abortions permitted in case of a medical emergency," reported Katie Meyer. "Stacy Naulty is one of those voters for whom a total ban is a problem. She’s 43 and lives near Lansdale, a Montgomery County town about an hour from Philadelphia, with her four kids. She supported Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020."
“I think he’s too far conservative. I think he will cause more of a divide in our state if he gets in as governor,” said Naulty to WHYY. She added, “I do think he will take it to the extreme and completely shut abortion down altogether, and that’s not an answer these days. People rape children. You’re going to have her, you know, have a baby out of that situation? No. It’s not OK.”
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Cara Alderfen, a Bucks County woman who voted for Trump in 2016, agreed, saying, "this guy is really bad" and the abortion issue was "the nail in the coffin for me."
Mastriano's candidacy has been dogged with controversy from the start. He was present at the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and lied about the extent of his involvement. He also has ties to local extremist churches, including the pro-QAnon "Rod of Iron Ministries" that believes guns are sacred, and LifeGate, a Christian nationalist group that has ties to militia groups and has provided security at Mastriano's campaign stops.
All of this comes as Pennsylvania Republicans are also struggling in the Senate race, with their nominee, daytime TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz, becoming a target of widespread ridicule for a recirculating video of himself from April in a grocery store in which he complained about the high price of crudités.