Doug Mastriano Nearing U.S. Senate Run Announcement: Report

HARRISBURG, PA — State Sen. Doug Mastriano is days away from a potential U.S. Senate campaign announcement in Pennsylvania, he told reporters during a campaign stop in Lebanon County.

Rumors have swirled that the far right spokesperson and MAGA icon might run to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey ever since Mastriano lost his gubernatorial bid, in resounding fashion, during last fall's midterms.

Typically reclusive from mainstream media outlets, he spoke to Inquirer reporters during the weekend event and reportedly added that his announcement will entail "crazy good news."

Like most Mastriano comments, bombastic, divisive, and re-entrenching, his words sparked an upwelling of both excitement and anxiety on the right side of the aisle. Pennsylvania State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) was among numerous establishment Republican figures who urged Mastriano not to run.

"Today I'm calling on all level-headed PA Republicans to join me in requesting that Doug Mastriano abandon any plans he may have to run for US Senate in 2024," Diamond said, sharing screenshots on social media of private messages he purportedly sent Mastriano. The messages stated that "your (Mastriano's) appearance at the top of the ticket last year undoubtedly contributed to Republicans losing the majority of the PA House."

Diamond and others say that there are many in the Pennsylvania GOP who do not want Mastriano to run, and who didn't want him to run for governor 2022, but fear the political consequences of opposing the populist publicly.

See related: Mastriano, Trump Hold Huge Leads In PA In New 2024 Polls

While rumors of the demise of the alt-right and it's spokespersons have been rampant since the fall's blue wave, polling still indicates strength for both former President Donald Trump and Mastriano within the state.

A recent Public Policy Polling survey indicated that 39 percent of Republicans favor Mastriano to be the GOP nominee for Senate in two years, compared to just 21 percent for establishment pick Dave McCormick, and 11 percent for another election denying contrarian in the Trump-brand, Kathy Barnette.

"The party base (wants) to continue its recent direction," surveyers said.

Head to head against McCormick, Mastriano wins 42 percent to 28 percent, the poll found.

That's despite Mastriano's nontraditional, far right campaign suffering a lopsided loss to Gov. Josh Shapiro last fall. Running on a platform that claimed Trump's 2020 loss was rigged, election reform was needed, public education spending should be slashed, and women who get abortions should be criminally charged, he lost to Shapiro by some 700,000 votes.

That margin was far more than even some of the Republican base that had favored McCormick in last spring's primary had feared. A string of losses for MAGA candidates in the 2023 primaries, including Montgomery County's own incumbent election denier and anti-establishment Commissioner Joe Gale, indicates that they could be great. But absent a more charismatic candidate in the Senate race, Mastriano will continue to be the betting favorite on the right.

The Cook Political Report said that Pennsylvania "leans" Democrat as of late January, which is a step to the left from the outlet's "toss up" but still more competitive than it's "likely" and "solid" Democrat classifications.

Mastriano told the Inquirer that his forthcoming campaign announcement, whatever it may entail, will come on Facebook Live.