Doug Mastriano Concedes Pennsylvania Governor’s Race to Democrat Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Republican nominee for governor, Doug Mastriano on the campaign trail in 2022. Courtesy Mastriano Campaign

The Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano conceded the race to his Democratic opponent Josh Shapiro on Sunday, while calling for election results to be counted faster.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Mastriano, who former President Donald Trump endorsed, said the results of the midterm elections had not gone the way Republicans had hoped and “fought so hard for.”

“In all, we received votes from almost 2.2 million Pennsylvanians, and I thank every one of you, from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

Shapiro was projected as the winner in the race for governor late on election night by NBC News. The Associated Press also called the race in favor of Shapiro on election night, when Shapiro had 54.42 percent of the vote, or 2,571,668 votes, and Mastriano 43.74 percent. As of Sunday, Shapiro has 56.3 percent of the vote compared to Mastriano’s 41.9 percent.

“We gave this race everything we have,” Mastriano said. “Difficult to accept as the results are, there is no right course but to concede, which I do, and I look to the challenges ahead. Josh Shapiro will be our next governor, and I ask everyone to give him the opportunity to lead and pray that he leads well.”

Mastriano’s statement comes nearly five days after NBC’s initial projection.

He retired as a Colonel in November 2017 following 30 years of active-duty service and was elected to serve as a Pennsylvania senator by District 33 two years later in 2019.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro gives a victory speech to supporters at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., on Nov. 8, 2022. Mark Makela/Getty Images

Campaign Promises

Mastriano’s campaign had focused largely on election integrity, protecting the Second Amendment rights of Americans, and securing the border amid a mass immigration crisis that has led to an increase of fentanyl being snuck across the southern border.

The rise in fentanyl transportation across the border is now claiming the lives of Pennsylvanians each and every day, according to Mastriano’s campaign website.

As a state senator, Mastriano introduced Tyler’s Law, which targets drug dealers who push fentanyl resulting in a fatal overdose, resulting in a mandatory minimum 25-year sentence upon conviction.

Mastriano also supported a complete ban on abortions and was vocal in his opposition to vaccine mandates and draconian COVID restrictions.

In contrast, Shapiro, the state’s two-term elected attorney general, had vowed to protect Pennsylvanians’ access to abortions, including protecting the state’s existing 24-week law. He has also focused his campaign on tackling the fentanyl crisis and overhauling the state’s criminal justice system.

As attorney general, Shapiro had spoken out against Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

In a statement on Sunday, the Democrat thanked Pennsylvanians for giving him “the honor of a lifetime to give me the chance to serve you as Pennsylvania’s next Governor.”

“While my name was on the ballot, it was always your rights on the line,” Shapiro wrote. “I believe this Governor’s race was a test for each of us to decide what kind of Commonwealth and what kind of country that we want to live in. It was a test of whether or not we valued our rights and freedoms, and whether we believed in opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.”

“I humbly write to you as your Governor-elect knowing that you met this moment,” he said.