Days Later, Doug Mastriano Concedes PA Governor's Race

PENNSYLVANIA — While there are almost certain to be grumblings related to mail-in ballots over this election as there have been in years passed, there appears to be no concerted effort from figures on the right to attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 midterm elections in Pennsylvania which brought major victories for the Democratic Party.

Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano conceded the gubernatorial race on Sunday afternoon, five days after the Associated Press and other outlets had called the election for Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

"Difficult to accept as the results are, there is no right course but to concede, which I do," Mastriano said in a statement. "And I look forward to the challenges ahead."

Mastriano, who critics said used his populist appeal to court the most extreme elements of the MAGA wing of the party, seemed to appeal to them in his statement, too.

"Josh Shapiro will be our next governor, and I ask everyone to give him the opportunity to lead," Mastriano continued. "And pray that he leads well."

As part of a national trend widely considered a rebuke of former President Donald Trump's influence, Shapiro won by a wide margin in the midterm. Unofficial tallies have Shapiro at 2,960,918 votes to Mastriano's 2,216,882. Shapiro's allies say his efforts at courting moderate voters have consistently paid off, pointing to 2022 and his victories as attorney general.

"Every time he has run statewide in Pennsylvania – in 2016, 2020, and 2022 – Josh Shapiro has won the most votes of anyone on the ballot – and this year, that win was powered by remarkable performances in swing counties and parts of the state that have most recently voted for Republicans," a spokesperson for his campaign said, pointing to his victories in traditionally red counties like Beaver, Berks, Cumberland, and Luzerne.

Despite accepting the results, Mastriano, who helped spearhead the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, reiterated that the state is in "great need of election reform."

"As I write this, the final results of the 2022 midterm elections are still not available," he said. "We can and we must do better to make our elections more transparent, more secure, and more quickly decided."

Mastriano had initially remained optimistic that he would still win during an election night rally with supporters, even after the Associated Press and other outlets had called the race for Shapiro.

Mastriano was one of numerous major Republican gubernatorial around the country who did not concede immediately after losses Tuesday, including Lee Zeldin in New York and Tudor Dixon in Michigan.