WSJ editors smack down Trump for pushing 'Stop the Steal 2022' in Pennsylvania race

The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal has taken former president Donald Trump to task for once again resorting to complaining that an election has been stolen because his anointed candidate to be the Republican Party nominee for a U.S. Senate seat representing Pennsylvania may be headed for a recount.

As the editors note, as of Friday morning the ballot counting is still ongoing and yet the president is already complaining and urging controversial Dr. Mehmet Oz to declare victory.

In posts on his own Truth Social, Trump has written, "Here we go again! In Pennsylvania, they are unable to count the Mail-In Ballots. It is a BIG MESS," adding, "Dr. Oz should declare victory. It makes it much harder for them to cheat with the ballots that they ‘just happened to find.’”

According to the editors, what Trump is doing is nothing less than "Stop the Steal 2022," a reference to the 2020 rally that led to a riot and insurrection attempt by his supporters.

IN OTHER NEWS: Trump-endorsed GOP candidate says she'd 'absolutely' vote to ban all birth control

"If [Oz opponent David] McCormick wins the final count, will Mr. Trump smear him as an election thief?" the editors ask "Would GOP voters believe that nonsense? Pennsylvania has closed primaries, so everybody who voted for Mr. Oz or Mr. McCormick must be registered as a Republican," the editors added that the former president could end up crippling Republican voting efforts when the November midterm election rolls around.

"By taking a political hatchet to Mr. McCormick, Mr. Trump could discourage Republicans from supporting him in November, giving away a winnable Senate seat," they wrote.

As evidence of their worries, the editors cited Trump's interference in Georgia in the 2020 election that resulted in run-offs for both Senate seats which the Republicans subsequently lost.

"Don’t bet what’s left of your 401(k) on whether Mr. Trump has learned his lesson. His advice to Mr. Oz is also a warning about how Doug Mastriano, the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee, might react to a loss in the fall. Mr. Mastriano is the underdog against Democrat Josh Shapiro. If Mr. Mastriano falls short, will he and Mr. Trump claim it was due to some kind of massive coordinated fraud scheme that amazingly can’t be proved?" they speculated, before adding that candidate Oz should -- unlike Trump -- accept his loss if that is what the voters decide.

"GOP candidates are understandably eager to win Mr. Trump’s endorsement, but it could come with pressure to shout fraud when zero evidence for it exists. Whether Mr. Oz wins or loses, he would do his country a service if he publicly refused this turn toward conspiracy politics," they wrote.

You can read more here -- subscription is required.