Pa. AG Josh Shapiro Blasts GOP Opponent in Gubernatorial Race As ‘Extreme’

• Pa. AG Josh Shapiro on Sunday blasted GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano as “dangerous” and “divisive.”
• “He thinks climate change is fake,” Shapiro said on CNN. “The contrast couldn’t be clearer.”
• Shapiro ran unopposed in the Democratic party’s gubernatorial primary, and will face Mastriano in November. 

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, blasted his Republican general election opponent, conservative state Sen. Doug Mastriano, as “dangerous” and “divisive.”

During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Shapiro pointed to a range of issues from abortion to election integrity in contending that Mastriano’s views are outside of the political mainstream.

“He is extreme and he is dangerous,” the two-term attorney general told host Dana Bash. “He would ban all abortion and jail doctors who perform it. He was there on January 6, and when the police told him to stop at the barricades, he kept marching. He is someone who wants to overturn not just the last election, but has made clear that he would pick the winner of the next one.”

Shapiro — who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination — also called out Mastriano on marriage equality and his stance on climate change.

—CNN (@CNN) May 22, 2022

“He wants to make it illegal to have same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania,” he said. “He thinks climate change is fake. He is a danger. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.”

He continued: “We will continue to point out those clear differences. I’ve been focused on a future for Pennsylvania that grows our economy, that improves our schools, that makes sure that we have safe communities. He’s been focused on re-litigating the past. He is dangerous and he is divisive.”

Mastriano — who has been a huge proponent of former President Donald Trump’s debunked election claims and has pledged to take the swing state in a deeply conservative direction — was endorsed by the former president earlier this month.

In winning the multicandidate GOP primary, Mastriano secured 43 percent of the vote — well ahead of the second-place finisher, former Rep. Lou Barletta, who received 20 percent of the vote.

The winner of the general election will succeed Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who cannot run again due to term limits.