Trump fears one of his own allies could crush his hopes of winning Pennsylvania again

Former President Donald Trumpendorsed Doug Mastriano for Pennsylvania governor in 2022, only to watch him crash and burn in a general election against current Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Now Politico reports that Trump has realized he made a mistake with his Mastriano endorsement, and he fears reports that the failed gubernatorial candidate is gearing up for a 2024 Senate run against Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

“Trump’s not dumb,” one GOP donor tells Politico. “He knows Mastriano will hurt him in Pennsylvania.”

Mastriano, a hard-right Christian nationalist, has a particularly extreme stance against abortion, as he has said he'd outlaw it with no exceptions even for rape or incest.

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Not only is Trump highly reluctant to endorse Mastriano, reports Politico, but it's doubtful that he would even campaign with him should be win the GOP Pennsylvania Senate nomination next year for fears that voters would punish him for merely being associated with him.

“He regrets endorsing him," one Trump adviser said of the Mastriano endorsement. “He says, ‘Doug blew it.’”

Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 before losing it in 2020 to President Joe Biden.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade shifted Pennsylvania more firmly into Democratic territory in the 2022 midterm elections, as both Shapiro and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) both used the issue to paint their Republican opponents as extreme.