Douglas Vincent Mastriano (born January 2, 1964) is an American far-right[1][2][3][4] politician and retired military officer who has served in the Pennsylvania Senate since 2019, representing the 33rd district. A member of the Republican Party, he was also the party's nominee in the 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election.
Doug Mastriano | |
---|---|
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 33rd district | |
Assumed office June 10, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Richard Alloway |
Personal details | |
Born | Douglas Vincent Mastriano January 2, 1964 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Rebbie Stewart (m. 1987) |
Children | 1 |
Education | Mercer County Community College Eastern University (BA) National Intelligence University (MS) Air University (MMAS, MA) United States Army War College (MS) University of New Brunswick (PhD) |
Website | |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1986–2017 |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit | |
Battles/wars | |
Born in New Jersey, Mastriano served in the United States Army from 1986 to 2017 and attained the rank of colonel. He ran for U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district in 2018, where he finished fourth in the primary. Mastriano won the state senate seat for the 33rd District the following year in a special election. In 2022, he won the Republican nomination for governor and lost to Democratic state attorney general Josh Shapiro in the general election.
Mastriano is a prominent figure in fundamentalist Christian nationalism and has called the separation of church and state a myth.[5][6] He has made social media posts referencing QAnon and has spoken at events that promoted QAnon and 9/11 conspiracy theories.[1][7][8][9][10][11] An election denier and self-professed close ally of former President Donald Trump, Mastriano received national attention for his efforts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.[12]
He attended Trump's January 6 rally in Washington, D.C., prior to Trump supporters' storming of the United States Capitol,[12][13] and was seen on video passing through Capitol Police barriers after they had been breached by others in the crowd.[12] Mastriano was subpoenaed by the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in February 2022, but stopped cooperating with the Select Committee the following August.[14][15]
Early life and education
Early life
Mastriano was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on January 2, 1964, the son of Italian Americans Richard L. and Janice C. (Bono) Mastriano.[16][17] Raised in Hightstown, New Jersey, he graduated from Hightstown High School in 1982. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout.[18] He then attended Mercer County Community College, where he was a member of Psi Beta and Phi Theta Kappa.[19][20]
Mastriano himself has said that he did not grow up in a "strong Christian family", but was led to embrace religion as a teenager by an "on-fire youth pastor" after being invited to a youth group called "The Way".[21]
In 1986, Mastriano received a bachelor's degree in history from Eastern College.[22] While at Eastern, he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.[23]
Continued education
Mastriano received a master's degree in strategic intelligence from the Joint Intelligence College in 1992.[22] His education also includes a master's degree in airpower theory from the Air University in 2001.[22] In 2002, he received a master's degree in military operational art and science from the Air University's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.[22] He received a master's degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College in 2010.[22]
While a Major at Air University, Mastriano wrote a thesis titled "The Civilian Putsch of 2018: Debunking the Myth of a Civil-Military Leadership Rift".[24] In the thesis, Mastriano writes from a perspective of a colonel, like himself, who is forced to hide out in a cave because a politically correct leader has taken over America and killed millions.[24]
In 2013, Mastriano completed a Ph.D. in history from the University of New Brunswick.[22]
Allegations of academic misconduct
During his 2022 run for governor of Pennsylvania, formal complaints were made to the University of New Brunswick (UNB) about potential academic fraud contained in his book published about Alvin York. As Mastriano's book on York was heavily based on his Ph.D. thesis, this eventually prompted the university to launch an investigation to determine if his history Ph.D. awarded in 2013 was fraudulent.[25][26][27] The complaint cited 213 allegations of potential academic misconduct contained in Mastriano's doctoral thesis.[28] Regarding the incident, Jeffrey Brown, a UNB associate professor who was listed on Mastriano's doctoral dissertation, said that "[Mastriano] was awarded a Ph.D. on very shaky grounds."[28] Brown also said that Mastriano's work was "dishonest, sloppy, ... and indifferent to facts that contradicted his claims".[28] James Gregory, an educator and a history PhD candidate, has found more than 150 problems with Mastriano's doctoral thesis and has said it amounts to "academic fraud".[28] Mastriano claimed that the accusations were made due to his political beliefs, stating that he "did have concerns that some of the left-leaning professors there would hold [his] politics or [his] military background against [him].”[29] In May 2023, the University of New Brunswick appointed three professors from other institutions to review Mastriano's dissertation for academic fraud.[30][31] The committee's final report was not made public.[32] In 2024, Mastriano filed a lawsuit against the University of New Brunswick, alleging them of "leaking his doctoral thesis and of participating in a scheme to discredit his research on a First World War hero".[33]
Military career
After college, Mastriano was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army and assigned to the Military Intelligence Corps.[23][34] After initial training, he started his career in Nuremberg, Germany, with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in the area of the West German borders with East Germany and Czechoslovakia.[35] Mastriano also spent four years at the NATO Land Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.[36] Mastriano was deployed to Iraq for Operation Desert Storm in 1991.[37][non-primary source needed] He served at the DLIFLC in Monterey, California, as the company commander of Alpha company from 1995 to 1996.[citation needed] Mastriano then was in Washington, DC, in the 3rd Infantry Division and US Army Europe.[37][non-primary source needed] He ended his military career as a faculty instructor in the Department of Military Strategy at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, during 2012–2017,[non-primary source needed][22] and retired in 2017 at the rank of colonel.[38][39]
2018 congressional campaign
On February 13, 2018, at the Otterbein Church in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, Mastriano announced his candidacy for U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district, a seat being vacated by the retiring congressman Bill Shuster.[38][39] Less than a week after his announcement, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the congressional district map of Pennsylvania after ruling the previous map unconstitutional (due to gerrymandering by the majority Republican Party), and the area previously covered by the 9th District corresponds most closely to the new 13th District, so Mastriano became a candidate for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district.[40]
During his run for Congress, Mastriano made multiple controversial statements including stating that same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples should "[a]bsolutely not" be legal.[41] He also said that Islam is not compatible with the constitution and that recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program should be deported.[41]
Mastriano ultimately finished fourth of the eight candidates in the primary election, receiving 10,485 votes.[42]
Pennsylvania State Senate
Electoral history
2019
On January 22, 2019, Mastriano announced that he intended to run for the State Senate seat being vacated by Rich Alloway in the 33rd District, saying he "can't, in good conscience, stand aside", wanting to "serve his country in a new way".[43] Mastriano won the Republican nomination for the May 21 election at a party conference held in Gettysburg on March 30, 2019.[citation needed]
Val DiGiorgio, the chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, said "Doug Mastriano is the kind of conservative candidate that reflects the values of South Central Pennsylvania and will be a key asset in helping advance the Republican agenda in Harrisburg."[44]
On May 21, 2019, Mastriano defeated Democrat Sarah Hammond with 70% of the vote.[45] Mastriano was sworn into the Pennsylvania Senate on June 10.[46]
Campaign Facebook page controversy
Mastriano has been criticized by some religious leaders and the Pennsylvania Democratic leadership[47] for posts on his campaign's Facebook page, "Doug Mastriano Fighting for Freedom".[48]
In May 2019, during his campaign for state senate, Mastriano spread Islamophobic content via several shared posts on his campaign Facebook page targeting Muslims. "Islam wants to kill gay rights, Judaism, Christianity and pacifism" read one of the posts, which critiqued the common "Coexist" bumper stickers.[47][49] After the fire at the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, Mastriano had shared an image that was circulated implying that it had been an act perpetrated by Muslim terrorists,[50] with a caption reading "something wicked comes this way".[49][51] He also made birtherist allusions regarding president Obama.[49] In April 2018, his campaign Facebook page shared an article headlined, "A Dangerous Trend: Muslims running for office".[49]
While various Democratic critics have condemned his Facebook posts, neither Mastriano, the county, nor the state Republican party responded publicly to questions raised about the issues.[47][52]
2020
On November 3, 2020, Mastriano was re-elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 33rd District by 68.7 percent of the vote. His Democratic opponent Rich Sterner had 31.3 percent.[53]
2024
Tenure
Cannabis prohibition
Mastriano opposed efforts by Governor Tom Wolf to legalize recreational cannabis. He has said that cannabis "causes an increase in violence, mental illness and driving under the influence" and that ending the prohibition is "madness and stupid".[54] In reference to states like California and Colorado that have legalized marijuana, Mastriano has said "[all] it's done is destroy their society," and turned the states "into rat holes and third-world backwashes".[55]
Caucus meetings
In 2021, Mastriano was banned from attending closed-door Republican state senate caucus meetings after he publicly shared information that was meant to be confidential. After fellow members requested he be let back in, Mastriano was allowed to attend caucus meetings starting on May 23, 2022.[56]
Chemtrails
Mastriano has made social media posts reminiscent of the chemtrail conspiracy theory. In December 2022, Mastriano posted photos of contrails over his senate district and linked to an article discussing a government research proposal to investigate whether releasing aerosols into the upper atmosphere to reflect solar radiation would combat climate change. In November 2023, Mastriano posted another photo of what he insinuated were abnormal contrails, and claimed, "I have legislation to stop this."[57]
Confederate monuments
In early summer 2020, fictitious rumors circulated online that a July 4 protest near Gettysburg National Military Park would involve burning the US Flag and calling for the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials.[58][59] No permit was issued and although the protest did not materialize, "hundreds" of individuals showed up to counter the fictitious protest, many in tactical gear, heavily armed, and brandishing Confederate flags. Profanity-laced shouting matches took place between this group and cemetery visitors throughout the afternoon.[58][59] In October 2020, Mastriano introduced Senate Bill 1321 to protect such monuments from being removed or vandalized. Mastriano said "We don't have to destroy the past. We don't have to rewrite the past ... We should learn from it, understand it, and become even better."[60]
COVID-19 policies
On March 17, 2020, Mastriano called for suspension of the HIPAA law to allow the Department of Health to share more COVID-19 data, including publishing the names and addresses of those infected with the virus.[61]
On March 28, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mastriano proposed legislation that would allow Pennsylvania businesses to reopen if they followed CDC mitigation guidelines, subject to health department and law enforcement inspections.[62][63]
Mastriano spoke during an anti-lockdown protest held on April 20, 2020, in support of reopening Pennsylvania during the state's ongoing pandemic.[64]
On May 11, 2020, Mastriano called for the resignation of Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, saying she was "being complicit in the virus spreading through our elder care homes, triggered by unscientific and illogical directives, forcing them to readmit COVID-19 patients", and that she was "responsible for the deaths of approximately 2,500 of our citizens, and display[ing] the gross incompetence of someone unfit for office".[65]
In May 2020, Mastriano wrote a letter signed by other Republican state legislators and a county commissioner calling for his home county of Franklin County to move out of the "red" phase of Governor Tom Wolf's reopening plan. At the time Franklin County's seat Chambersburg had one of the highest average daily growth rates of COVID-19 cases in the country. Mastriano's initiative was opposed by the mayor of Chambersburg and two county commissioners.[66]
In response to a Pennsylvania mask-wearing order, Mastriano called for a mask-burning party at a rally in Gettysburg on July 22, 2020.[67] At the rally, Mastriano urged people to reject store employees telling them to wear a mask and "tell them to mind your own business and say you're exempt".[68]
In March 2022, Mastriano introduced legislation that would make it easier for Pennsylvanians who are diagnosed with COVID-19 to access dubious drug treatments such as hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and ivermectin.[69] Medical studies have shown that there is no medical benefit to those drugs in treating COVID-19.[70][71][72][73][74][75]
Firearms
In July 2022, following a string of mass shootings, including the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Mastriano introduced legislation that would arm teachers and staff inside of schools.[76] The legislation was criticized by the president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers as "a dangerous, kind of scary proposal".[76]
Municipal separate storm sewer systems opposition
Mastriano was a vocal opponent of the implementation of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) programs as applied by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.[77] In an op-ed, Mastriano wrote, in part,:
A week rarely passes without me hearing from multiple residents who have been severely impacted by Harrisburg's latest revenue scheme. Since 2017, DEP has combined water quality standard requirements with MS4 and expanded beyond the original scope of the law. It now taxes impervious surfaces (which are not included in the Clean Water Act) and it applies MS4 requirements to any stormwater source, whether or not it discharges into navigable waterways. .. This oppressive government overreach has resulted in a program that is crushing our municipalities. MS4 was never intended to force small towns to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on what is essentially a new public utility that gobbles up taxpayer money whether or not it rains![77]
Efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election results and positive COVID-19 diagnosis
On November 5, 2020, Mastriano alleged various irregularities in the voting process for the U.S. presidential election and called for the resignation of the Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar. He sent a lengthy letter to Boockvar saying that "Nothing is more crucial to Americans than confidence that our voices will be heard through voting," and "Pennsylvanians no longer feel secure in casting their vote."[78] On November 6, Mastriano and two other state senators, Michele Brooks and Scott Hutchinson, issued a joint memo calling for a full recount "in any counties where state law was broken, regardless of the Department of State's instructions, as well as in any precinct where questionable actions were demonstrated".[79]
At Mastriano's request,[80][81] a public meeting of the Republican Party's Majority Policy Committee of the Pennsylvania Senate[82] was held on November 25, 2020, at the Wyndham hotel near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, about claims of election fraud.[83] The meeting, which lasted more than four hours, was organized by Mastriano (although Mastriano was not a member of the Policy Committee)[84] and was chaired by Pennsylvania State Senator Dave Argall.[82][85] President Donald Trump's legal team, including Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, gave a lengthy presentation in the meeting, and Trump himself participated by phone.[85] Trump made claims at the meeting alleging unfairness in the election process and saying he should be declared the winner. "This election was rigged, and we can't let that happen. This election has to be turned around because we won Pennsylvania by a lot and we won all these swing states by a lot," he said.[86] Immediately after the meeting, Trump invited some of the Pennsylvania lawmakers, including Mastriano, to meet with him in the West Wing of the White House on the same day.[86] The Republican leadership in the Pennsylvania legislature did not attend Trump's White House meeting and all those who did participate initially refused to discuss what happened at the meeting.[86]
On November 27, Mastriano and three other state senators announced that they would introduce a resolution to permit the state legislature to appoint delegates to the Electoral College instead of following the results of the presidential vote in the state. The proposed resolution, as circulated in a memorandum seeking additional co-sponsorships, alleges that "officials in the Executive and Judicial Branches of the Commonwealth infringed upon the General Assembly's authority by unlawfully changing the rules governing the November 3, 2020 election in the Commonwealth", and declares, "based on the facts and evidence presented and our own Board of Elections data, that the Presidential election held on November 3, 2020, in Pennsylvania is irredeemably corrupted".[87][88]
Editorial response and gubernatorial candidacy predictions
In the wake of the events, the editorial board of the York Dispatch, the local newspaper for much of his state senate district, wrote an editorial on December 2 that strongly criticized Mastriano's actions relating to the election.[89] The editorial described him as someone who "regularly spouts his love of freedom" but has a relationship to Trump that had been "exposed as nothing more than a vassal doing his master's bidding", and said his actions were that of a "craven oligarch" making a "shocking call for tyranny" in a "campaign to undercut democracy itself for a generation".[89]
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on December 5, 2020, that Mastriano's involvement with Trump in disputing the election results had raised his profile, and that he might become a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 election.[90] The Beaver County Times echoed this view on December 9, saying Mastriano had "shot to the top of the list for the GOP", and quoting local Democratic strategist Mike Mikus as saying Mastriano seemed to be "aggressively angling" to position himself as a potential candidate.[91]
Mastriano published an op-ed article in the York Daily Record on December 11, accusing Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Secretary Boockvar, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania of taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to abuse and contravene Pennsylvania Act 77, an act passed on October 29, 2019, that modified the election laws in Pennsylvania. He said they "have been making up rules on the fly and unconstitutionally rewrote the law, which compromised our election".[92] Mastriano said he had joined two lawsuits seeking to overturn the election results (Texas v. Pennsylvania, which the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed on the same day for lack of standing, and Kelly v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania U.S. Representative Mike Kelly, which the U.S. Supreme Court had rejected three days prior to Mastriano's article).[92]
Positive COVID-19 test
It was reported on November 29 that Mastriano, who had participated in the meeting with Trump, had left the meeting abruptly upon learning that he had tested positive for COVID-19 infection.[85] In addition to Mastriano himself, Mastriano's son and a friend of his son, who also attended the White House meeting, tested positive as well.[85] All participants of the meeting had been administered a rapid test for the virus as part of the White House health protocol, but the results of the test were not provided to them until they were already in the meeting in the West Wing.[85] It was also reported that Mastriano had not worn a mask during the Gettysburg public meeting that day, which had lasted more than four hours, and all but a few of the other participants had also not been wearing masks at the meeting.[85][93] Some of the participants had ridden in a large van from the Gettysburg meeting to the White House meeting, while Mastriano, his son and his son's friend had driven together in a separate car.[85] Another Pennsylvania state senator, Judy Ward, who sat next to Mastriano during the public meeting he had organized, tested positive for COVID-19 within five days after the meeting.[84][94][95] After acknowledging that he had tested positive for the virus on his Facebook page on November 30, Mastriano said that his case was "pretty mild",[96] and he appeared that day on The Eric Metaxas Show, with Donald Trump on the phone, supporting Trump's[93][97] claim that he had won the election.[98] When asked about his infection by conservative radio commentator Glenn Beck the next day, Mastriano replied, "I'm feeling fantastic."[96]
Interim Pennsylvania Senate President Jake Corman said that "mistakes were made" in the conduct of the Pennsylvania public meeting, as the organizers of the meeting had allowed a large crowd to attend without following guidelines for social distancing and mask-wearing.[84] The meeting participants were also not screened for symptoms of infection.[84] Corman said "There is no penalty, but you have to review what happened, acknowledge that there were mistakes, and make sure there are policies in place so that it doesn't happen again."[84] Pennsylvania political leaders had been warned by federal officials a few days before the meeting that the state had entered the "red zone" for its percentage of positive virus test results, indicating uncontrolled spreading of COVID-19 in the community, and they had been previously warned that the state was also in the "red zone" for the number of confirmed cases per capita in the state population.[81]
After participating in the event organized by Mastriano and several other events elsewhere disputing the validity of the election without wearing a mask, Giuliani tested positive for COVID-19 infection 10 or 11 days after the Pennsylvania meeting.[99]
Role in 2021 storming of the United States Capitol
Mastriano helped organize bus rides for Trump supporters to the protest that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol attack in Washington, D.C.[100] During the protest, Mastriano said he and his wife left the rally area when it turned violent, which he called "unacceptable". Democratic colleagues called for his resignation, saying senators must be held to a higher standard than others.[101] On the morning of January 13, Mastriano wrote on Twitter and Facebook, "Please do not participate in rallies or protests over the next ten days," and "Let's focus on praying for our nation during these troubling times."[102]
In May 2021, crowdsourced video analysis identified Mastriano and his wife watching as another rioter tore a police barricade away and then passing through a breached Capitol Police barricade, contradicting his previous claims that he had not been among the rioters. Mastriano said he was following police directions and dismissed the accusations as the work of "angry partisans" who were "foot soldiers of the ruling elite".[103][104] This claim is not supported by the video evidence.[105] Mastriano said he was in the "second row, watching the Trump rally", hoping Congress would legally stop the election's certification. "Once I realized all the speaking events were off we left and that's a darn shame... I was there to cheer on Congress, the House and the Senate, not to disrupt it," Mastriano said.[104] No negative consequences were expected as a result of the released videos, according to multiple university political science leaders.[106]
According to CNN, after images of Mastriano outside the Capitol emerged in the summer of 2021, Mastriano fully cooperated when questioned by the FBI.[107] As of July 12, 2022[update], Mastriano has not been charged with any crimes related to the Capitol breach by the DOJ.[108]
Transcripts released by the January 6th Committee later showed that investigators were aware of Mastriano's attempt to contact Vice President Mike Pence on the day of the attack.[109]
Continuing efforts to contest 2020 presidential election results
Arizona
In June 2021, after the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and without invitation, Mastriano traveled to Arizona along with fellow state senator Cris Dush and state house member Rob Kauffman[110] to observe the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit, which the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors called a "spectacle".[111] The audit was ordered by the state's Republican senate majority, the rationale for which was generated by widely discredited conspiracy theories.[112][113] Mastriano expressed the desire that the 2020 Pennsylvania ballots be subjected to a process similar to that employed in Maricopa County, Arizona,[110] even though Pennsylvania had already recounted the votes twice and twice confirmed Joe Biden's win and Donald Trump's loss.
The United States Department of Justice warned the audit participants that they may have broken the law in compromising the integrity of those Arizona ballots.[114][115] One firm involved had previously audited the 2020 election in Pennsylvania.[116] Wake TSI, the business contracted to do the audit in Fulton County, Pennsylvania by a nonprofit group was directed by discredited Trump attorney and conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell,[117] though she and they never found evidence of fraud. Further, Wake reported the Fulton County's count was "well run" and "conducted in a diligent and effective manner", but its conclusions were subsequently altered before being finalized by the county.[118]
January 6 attack
On February 15, 2022, Mastriano was subpoenaed by the congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, reportedly to inquire about his role in trying to impanel a slate of alternative electors in Pennsylvania, in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.[119] He submitted pertinent documents to the committee on May 30, 2022, and agreed to be interviewed. His submissions included receipts for $3,354 for the buses he rented to take his supporters to the January rally that segued into a violent insurrection. He further provided the names of attendees. He sold more than 130 tickets for those buses.[120] Mastriano has compared the actions of the committee as similar to the Nazi Party's crackdown on civil liberties following the Reichstag fire, and making "McCarthy in the '50s look like an amateur".[121] On August 9, 2022, Mastriano was scheduled to testify before the committee in a virtual deposition. But he answered no questions and ended the session after only fifteen minutes, after several disputes were brought up by his lawyer, including Mastriano's request that he be allowed to record his deposition, something the committee denied.[15] The following month Mastriano sued the committee arguing that they did not follow proper procedure and did not have the power to conduct depositions.[122] In 2024, Mastriano was subject to an ethics complaint filed by State Senator Art Haywood. The complaint was based of a report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) which outlined Mastriano's involvement in attempts to overturn the election and January 6. CREW's report stated, "There is compelling evidence that Mastriano is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment . . . He should be investigated and, if the evidence is substantiated, held accountable by the Pennsylvania Legislature, including possible expulsion from the Chamber."[123]
2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign
Mastriano had long been rumored to be considering a bid for Governor of Pennsylvania, particularly following his high-profile role in trying to change the results of the 2020 presidential election. In October 2021, Mastriano said he was considering a run for governor, but was putting out a fleece, and waiting for a sign from God before he could officially announce.[124] He has said that God and former president Donald Trump wanted him to run for governor.[21][125] On January 8, 2022, Mastriano announced his candidacy as a Republican candidate for governor.[126] Mastriano emerged as an early frontrunner in the race, alongside former Congressman Lou Barletta.[127]
While campaigning, Mastriano often used religious rhetoric. The Philadelphia Inquirer said "Mastriano often invokes Esther, the biblical Jewish queen who saved her people from slaughter by Persians, casting himself and his followers as God's chosen people who have arrived at a crossroads – and who must now defend their country, their very lives."[21] Inquirer reporter Andrew Seidman described his rallies as a "megachurch event".[128] Mastriano's campaign motto "Walk as Free People" was a reference to the Bible verse John 8:36.[7]
In April, Mastriano spoke at and raised money for his campaign at a far-right Christian conference called "Patriots Arise for God and Country" in Gettysburg.[11][129] The conference promoted conspiracy theories claiming that there is a global cabal of Democrats sex trafficking children, 9/11 was a false flag attack, vaccines amount to genocide therapy and Adolf Hitler faked his death.[11] Jewish organizations criticized Mastriano following the rally due to the improper use of Jewish symbols as "campaign props" to open the event.[21]
Mastriano's campaign had largely avoided talking to media outlets and journalists,[125] instead choosing to directly reach supporters via Facebook and speaking to a few conservative outlets.[121] Reporters from several outlets had been refused entry to his rallies, including reporters from The Philadelphia Inquirer,[21] NBC News,[130] and CNN.[131] A Philadelphia Inquirer reporter said that there were printed-out photographs of him and other journalists at the check-in desk at a Mastriano rally in Lancaster County.[21] Mastriano's campaign also attempted to have two CNN journalists removed from a hotel where they had video equipment set up on a balcony overlooking a rally in Uniontown. The journalists had previously been prevented from being admitted to the rally; they were allowed by the hotel to stay.[131]
On November 8, 2022, Mastriano lost the general election to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee by about 14 percentage points. Mastriano conceded defeat to Shapiro five days after the election while also calling for reforms to Pennsylvania's electoral system.[132] Former Republican senator from Pennsylvania Pat Toomey criticized Mastriano's campaign for its negative effect on Republican congressional races.[133]
Platform
At a rally on May 7, 2022, Mastriano suggested that his gubernatorial administration would be so conservative that it would make Florida Governor Ron DeSantis look like an "[a]mateur".[130] His platform for governor included prohibiting abortion, expanding gun rights, lowering taxes, and supporting charter schools.[21]
Abortion
Mastriano is opposed to abortion. He has expressed support for a ban on abortion from conception, saying "I'm at conception. We're going to have to work our way towards that."[134][135] He opposes exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.[135] Mastriano has sponsored heartbeat bills, which ban abortions after 6 to 10 weeks.[136][137] In 2019, Mastriano said women who violated his proposed 10-week abortion ban should be charged with murder.[138] Mastriano has referred to the practice as a "barbaric holocaust" and said that the slogan "my body, my choice" is "ridiculous nonsense".[41][21][130][139][140] Mastriano has called the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, "worse than the Holocaust".[141]
Shapiro has argued that Mastriano's anti-abortion views will cost Pennsylvania business and jobs as some Pennsylvania-based corporations, such as Duolingo, have said they will leave the state if an abortion ban is passed.[142]
Christian nationalism
An Associated Press article discussing Mastriano's combination of religion and politics said that Mastriano "leads rise in Christian nationalism among GOP candidates" and the article asserted that "watchers of Christian nationalism" considered Mastriano's primary win to be "by far the highest-profile victory for the movement".[143] Republican strategist Mike Madrid told Politico Mastriano's Christian nationalism "is a movement....The [separation] between evangelical Christianity, white identity and American nationalism is basically gone. They're merging into the same thing."[144] Despite being commonly described as a Christian nationalist, Mastriano has rejected this label.[143][10][21][145]
Voting restrictions and plan to only certify elections for Republicans
Although no evidence of "compromised" voting machines has been found[146] and although pending defamation lawsuits have been brought by both Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic Corp against certain defendants who claimed otherwise, Mastriano has said that if he is elected, within his first 100 days he would "immediately end all contracts with compromised voting machine companies". Mastriano seeks to restrict voting.[21] He would repeal Pennsylvania's no-excuse mail voting law, which he previously voted for.[10][130] As governor, Mastriano would have the power to appoint Pennsylvania's secretary of state, who oversees elections in the state. In April 2022, Mastriano said that his secretary of state would "reset" voter rolls so that Pennsylvanians would have to re-register to vote.[130] He reiterated his intent to do so days after the primary election held on May 17, 2022.[147] According to legal scholars consulted by the Associated Press, such an action would be a clear violation of federal law and may also violate state law and constitutional protections as well.[147] At a 2022 campaign event, Mastriano suggested that he might only certify Pennsylvania's election results if the Republican candidate for president wins.[148]
Disbelief in climate change
Mastriano supports pulling Pennsylvania out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change.[149] Dismissing the extensively documented scientific consensus that humans are dangerously interfering with the climate system,[150][151][152][153] Mastriano justified his opposition to the initiative by claiming climate change is "just a theory" based on "pop science" while "the weatherman can't get the weather right 24 hours out."[149] In a 2018 radio interview with WEEO-FM, Mastriano said that climate science is a "fake science. And it's a racket at the academic level."[154]
Education plan and school funding cuts
On the issue of education, Mastriano has called for cuts to funding of public education and proposed reducing per-student school funding from $19,000 to about $9,000.[155] The Pennsylvania State Education Association analyzed Mastriano's education plan and determined it would "amount to a school funding cut of $12.75 billion and could likely lead to the loss of more than 118,000 jobs in public schools in Pennsylvania..."[155] He supports school vouchers that could be used at any school including charter and religious schools.[155]
During an October 2022 rally, Mastriano said, if elected governor, that "the sexualization of our kids, pole dancing, and all this other crap that's going on will be forbidden in our schools."[156]
Illegal immigration
Mastriano supports removing all undocumented immigrants living in Pennsylvania. He has said he supports busing them to Wilmington, Delaware, the hometown of President Joe Biden.[157]
LGBTQ+ rights
Mastriano has said that same-sex marriage should be illegal, and that same-sex parents should not be allowed to adopt children.[158] On Mastriano's campaign page for the Pennsylvania Senate, he says that "marriage is between a man and woman – and that no amount of disinformation or political correctness will change these facts".[159]
Mastriano opposes efforts to ban or discourage conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation. He has called efforts to discourage the practice as "disgusting" saying the practice can be used to cure children who are "confused".[160]
He supports legislation to ban gender transition surgeries for transgender children. He has described the procedures as "experimental medical procedures" that distort "the concept of gender so that it defies the bounds of science and logic".[161] In October 2022, Mastriano, without evidence, accused the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia of "grabbing homeless kids and kids in foster care, apparently, and experimenting on them with gender transitioning...".[162]
Republican primary
In the closing days of the primary election, Mastriano led in most polls, much to the dismay of the Pennsylvania Republican establishment, who believed Mastriano would lose the general election to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Attorney General Josh Shapiro.[127] A number of candidates including President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Jake Corman and former Congresswoman Melissa Hart dropped out and endorsed Lou Barletta, in a bid to stop Mastriano.[127] Three days before the election former president Donald Trump endorsed Mastriano.[163] Mastriano won the Republican primary election with 44% of the vote.[164]
During the lead-up to the primary, Shapiro's campaign released a televised advertisement stating that a Mastriano win is "a win for what Donald Trump stands for". The ad was labeled as promoting Mastriano, a candidate Democrats saw as being easier to defeat in the general election.[165]
An investigation by Media Matters for America reported that Mastriano paid $5,000 to the Gab social network service on April 28, 2022, for "campaign consulting". As a result of the payments, every new account on Gab automatically followed Mastriano's account. Gab has been described as a social media haven for white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Gab co-founder and CEO Andrew Torba has a history of antisemitic comments and associations with white supremacists.[166] Torba said, "This is the most important election of the 2022 midterms because Doug is an outspoken Christian. We are going to build a coalition of Christian nationalists, of Christians, of Christian candidates, at the state, local and federal levels and we're going to take this country back for the glory of God." Torba added, "My policy is not to conduct interviews with reporters who aren't Christian or with outlets who aren't Christian and Doug has a very similar media strategy where he does not do interviews with these people. He does not talk to these people. He does not give press access to these people."[167][168][169][170][171] After his ties to Gab were revealed, Mastriano distanced himself from the social platform following criticism and said he rejects antisemitism. His Gab account was also removed on July 28.[172] Mastriano has said that he is not antisemitic because his campaign has had Jewish symbols, including the tallit and shofar, at one of their rallies.[173] Some Jewish organizations, however, have criticized Mastriano for the use of Jewish symbols at his campaign events.[21] The man at the rally, who presented the Jewish symbols, was identified as "Pastor Don" and is a messianic Jew.[173]
General election
Mastriano faced Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the November 8, 2022 general election, and lost.[174] The New York Times described Mastriano's general election efforts as a "ragtag campaign" that had "no television ads on the air [after] May, [chose] not to interact with the state's news media in ways that would push his agenda, and trail[ed] by double digits in reputable public polling..."[175] Matt Brouillette, a Pennsylvania Republican strategist, said of Mastriano's campaign, "I've not seen anything that is even a semblance of a campaign."[175]
In July 2022, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish civil rights organization, condemned Mastriano's "politics that teeter on the edge of a kind of extremism".[176] In August, Mastriano was placed on their list of "right-wing extremists" seeking elected office and once again condemned by the ADL after spreading debunked, antisemitic, conspiracy theories that George Soros, a Jewish liberal businessman, was a Nazi.[176]
In August 2022, Mastriano condemned the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former president Trump, as "an outrageous weaponization of America's tools of justice against political opponents of the current regime in Washington, DC". He urged his supporters "to exercise their votes and throw the bums out – Democrats in Washington and Harrisburg".[177]
Mastriano faced accusations of antisemitism in September 2022 following comments he made regarding Shapiro, who is Jewish.[178] Mastriano said that Shapiro cannot relate to voters because he grew up "in a privileged neighborhood" and attended a "privileged, exclusive, elite school", which therefore means Shapiro has "disdain for people like us".[178] Shapiro's alma mater in question is Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (then Akiba Hebrew Academy), a Jewish day school. Mastriano also critiqued Shapiro for sending his kids to a Jewish day school.[178] A number of figures, including Jake Tapper, a CNN journalist and fellow alumnus of Shapiro's school,[179] condemned the remarks as antisemitic.[178] Tapper said: "I don't think I have ever heard Mr. Mastriano describe any other Pennsylvania parochial school in that way."[178] A school official said that more than 60% of students receive financial aid.[178] Responding to Tapper, Mastriano said the "irony was listening to Jake Tapper, one of his classmates, defend the elite school they go to. 'I'm not elitist' — it's like Nixon saying 'I'm not a criminal.' Yes, you are elitist."[180] Mastriano has continued to use the line of attack saying "[apparently] now it is some kind of racist thing if I talk about the school..."[181] Mastriano's wife, Rebbie, defended the comments saying "we probably love Israel more than a lot of Jews do", citing years of outreach contributions.[182]
Towards the end of the summer, Shapiro's lead over Mastriano began to grow in the polls and Mastriano's campaign lacked the funding to run many ads on TV.[183] The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Mastriano's "messaging has grown increasingly erratic, sometimes arguably bordering on nonsensical".[183] Forty days prior to the general election, Mastriano called on his supporters to join him for a fast that would last until election day.[183]
In October, in a rare move, two retired U.S. Army War College professors publicly rebuked Mastriano and said he was unfit to serve as governor.[184]
One week before the general election, acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman announced the total vote count would take "days". Mastriano falsely claimed this was "an attempt to have the fix in".[185] After the election had been called for Shapiro, Mastriano initially did not concede.[186] Five days after the election was called for Shapiro, Mastriano formally conceded the race without issue.[132]
Ties to far-right extremists and militias
During an Independence Day parade, supporters of Mastriano could be seen carrying a flag bearing the emblem of the Three Percenters. The Three Percenters are a far-right anti-government militia that has been labeled as an extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[187]
A July 2022 article in Salon,[188] expanded upon by Media Matters for America in August, found that Mastriano has campaigned with and promoted Julie Green, an acknowledged prophet in the New Apostolic Reformation.[189] Green, who says she has "a special relationship" with Mastriano and gave the opening prayer at one of Mastriano's campaign events, has promoted conspiracy theories including that Nancy Pelosi "loves to drink the little children's blood" and that Joe Biden is actually dead and being played by an actor.[189] Green has prophesied that a number of politicians including Liz Cheney, Doug Ducey, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Nadler, Mitt Romney and Chuck Schumer will be executed for treason.[189]
An August 2022 investigation by LNP found that Mastriano's security detail was made up of non-professional, armed guards including the former regional leader of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist militia group.[190] Several other members of the security detail are members of LifeGate, an Elizabethtown-based evangelical church, whose leaders have spoken publicly about their goals to elect Christians to public office to advance biblical principles in government.[190]
At a September 2022 rally in Chambersburg, a speaker directed the crowd to raise their hands in unison and then to bring their hands down on the count of three.[191] The crowd shouted "as one" as they lowered their hands.[191] The gesture was described as being "eerily similar" to a Nazi salute.[191] The Texas evangelist who directed the unison activity said he is part Jewish and that the salute comparison was "typical leftist lies" about a Republican event.[192]
In October 2022, Mastriano appeared at a campaign rally with conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec.[193][194] Posobiec has repeatedly used white supremacist and antisemitic talking points, including the Fourteen Words, a reference to a white supremacist slogan.[195][196][197][198]
In November 2022, The Daily Beast reported that Mastriano was an administrator for a Facebook group, which features a number of racist and antisemitic posts.[199] The page features posts stating that Michelle Obama is transgender, George Soros is a Jewish puppet master who controls politicians and that immigrants are "scary brown people".[199]
At least six people who were in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, during the Capitol attack have donated to Mastriano's campaign.[200] He also received a $500 donation from Andrew Torba, a white supremacist and Christian nationalist.[200]
Confederate uniform controversy
In late August 2022, Reuters obtained a photograph via a FOIA request showing Mastriano dressed in a Confederate uniform while posing in a 2013–14 faculty portrait for the Army War College. The photo was taken at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center along the Army Heritage Trail.[201] According to Reuters, the faculty was permitted to dress in historical attire.[201] At least 15 of the 21 people in the picture chose to wear regular attire.[201] One man in the photograph could be seen wearing an aviator's helmet while another wore a trench coat.[201] Mastriano was the only member photographed wearing Confederate attire.[201]
After the report was published, the photo was removed from the Army War College's collection of portraits "because it does not meet AWC values"; a spokesperson for the Army noted that "the Army supports commanders who remove symbols or images that do not comport with Army values."[201] According to Reuters, "Confederate symbols can be seen as insensitive to those who view them as painful reminders of racial oppression" and "Confederate symbols and dress have been embraced by white supremacists in the United States."[201]
Following the controversy, Media Matters for America published a Facebook livestream from Mastriano in 2020 where he praised armed men, who were ostensibly defending a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg National Park.[202] In the video, Mastriano says "Friends, thanks for being here. I'm Senator Mastriano ... It's good to see you guys ... Thanks for being vigilant."[202] In another part of the video, Mastriano says to a man wearing a half-Confederate, half-U.S. flag: "You're looking good there, man. I can't think of a better cape."[202]
Published works as author
Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne
Mastriano's first book, Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne (ISBN 978-0813145198), was published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2014.[203] Mastriano conducted twelve years of research for the book.[204] His team uncovered thousands of artifacts that Mastriano believed were related to Alvin York's battle of October 8, 1918.[203]
Mastriano's book received the 2015 William E. Colby Award of the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium at Norwich University (an award for a first published work of a military topic author),[35] the Army Historical Foundation Award, the US Army War College Madigan Award and the 2015 Crader Family Book Prize in American Values.[205][206]
Other researchers have questioned the accuracy of the book, including James Gregory, a PhD Candidate at the University of Oklahoma, who has identified 30 citations in the work that he asserts are fraudulent (i.e., not supporting the claims they are cited to support or having obviously doubtful reliability), and a photo on the dust jacket that is labeled by the Army as having been taken twelve days before York's Medal of Honor action but is presented as depicting the action's aftermath.[207] The University Press of Kentucky, which published the book, asked Mastriano in September to respond before November 2021 to about 30 items of concern; his response or the publisher's own recommendations were then to be reviewed by the publisher and a peer reviewer for inclusion in a new printing in 2022.[208]
Several archeologists and historians have raised questions about Mastriano's findings regarding the location of Alvin York's Medal of Honor actions.[209] In an introduction to Michael Kelly's Hero on the Western Front: Discovering Alvin York's Battlefield, the late Ed Bearss, former chief historian for the National Park Service, says that Kelly "identifies serious problems with [Mastriano's York Group] that compromise the validity of their claims that they had located the York sites".[210]
Brad Posey, who had initially been a member of Mastriano's team, described Mastriano as "A U.S. Army or Air Force officer using a very cheap-looking metal detector with no experience in metal detecting".[210] Posey left Mastriano's team after becoming convinced that Mastriano was incorrect, and joined the competing Nolan group.[210] Lieutenant Col. Taylor V. Beattie, an Alvin York researcher,[211] was critical of Mastriano's lack of annotation during his research, saying, "This is actually one of the things I warned Mastriano about. Somebody should be able to retrace what he did."[210] Beattie later criticized Mastriano's team for using a bulldozer to make room for a monument, rendering any further archaeological investigation impossible.[210]
Other works
Other works by Mastriano include:
- Thunder in the Argonne: A New History of America's Greatest Battle (ISBN 978-0813175553)
- Project 1704: U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, Appropriate U.S. Response, and Implications for U.S. Landpower – Putin's Rise to Power, Military, Ukraine Crisis, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2017[212]
- Project 1721: A U.S. Army War College Assessment on Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe and Recommendations on How to Leverage Landpower to Maintain the Peace, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2017[213]
- Project 1704: A U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, an Appropriate U.S. Response, and the Implications for U.S. Landpower, as project leader for a U.S. Army War College project, 2015[214]
- Nebuchadnezzar's Sphinx: What Have We Learned from Baghdad's Plan to Take Kuwait?, a thesis for the School of Advanced Air Power Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, June 2002[215]
- The Civilian Putsch of 2018: Debunking The Myth of a Civil-Military Leadership Rift, a research report for the School of Advanced Air Power Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, April 2001[216]
Personal life
Mastriano grew up in Mercer County, New Jersey and voted in New Jersey until 2010.[217] In 2012, he moved to Pennsylvania. Mastriano's mother Janice was a member of the East Windsor Regional Board of Education for three terms.[217] She faced calls for her resignation in 2000 after saying in an interview "I wouldn't want a known homosexual camping with my boys, because you know most of them are pedophiles too."[217]
Mastriano and his wife, Rebecca, have one child.[218] Both he and his son Josiah appeared in the 2019 film Operation Resist, a film The New Yorker described as historically revisionist for its presentation of Evangelical Christians as a persecuted minority in Nazi Germany alongside Jews.[219] The film has also been criticized by scholars for its distortions of the Holocaust, and for equating abortion and gun-control with Nazism.[220] Josiah played the role of the Nazi Fritz and Mastriano played the role of American Captain Peter Ortiz.[221]
He worships at a Mennonite church, likely a Conservative Mennonite Conference church.[21][222] Mastriano has attended events of the New Apostolic Reformation, a movement advocating the restoration of the offices of so-called "prophets and apostles".[223][7]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Joyce | 14,615 | 21.9 | |
Republican | John Eichelberger | 13,101 | 19.6 | |
Republican | Steve Bloom | 12,195 | 18.3 | |
Republican | Doug Mastriano | 10,485 | 15.7 | |
Republican | Art Halvorson | 10,161 | 15.2 | |
Republican | Travis Schooley | 3,030 | 4.5 | |
Republican | Bernie Washabaugh | 1,908 | 2.9 | |
Republican | Ben Hornberger | 1,182 | 1.8 | |
Total votes | 66,677 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Doug Mastriano | 20,595 | 68.29 | |
Democratic | Sarah E. Hammond | 9,490 | 31.47 | |
Write-in | 73 | 0.24 | ||
Total votes | 30,158 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Doug Mastriano | 96,029 | 68.64 | |
Democratic | Rich Sterner | 43,867 | 31.36 | |
Total votes | 139,896 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Doug Mastriano | 590,703 | 43.8 | |
Republican | Lou Barletta | 272,884 | 20.2 | |
Republican | William McSwain | 212,536 | 15.8 | |
Republican | Dave White | 128,885 | 9.6 | |
Republican | Melissa Hart[a] | 54,307 | 4.0 | |
Republican | Joe Gale | 27,756 | 2.1 | |
Republican | Jake Corman[a] | 25,903 | 1.9 | |
Republican | Charlie Gerow | 17,829 | 1.3 | |
Republican | Nche Zama | 16,111 | 1.2 | |
Total votes | 1,346,914 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | 3,031,137 | 56.49% | −1.28% | ||
Republican |
|
2,238,477 | 41.71% | +1.01% | |
Libertarian |
|
51,611 | 0.96% | −0.02% | |
Green |
|
24,436 | 0.46% | −0.09% | |
Keystone |
|
20,518 | 0.38% | N/A | |
Total votes | 5,366,179 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
Turnout | 60.53% | ||||
Registered electors | 8,864,831 | ||||
Democratic hold |
Notes
References
- ^ a b Otterbein, Holly; Montellaro, Zach (May 10, 2022). "Pennsylvania GOP panics over possible Mastriano nomination". Politico. Philadelphia. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ Epstein, Reid J. (May 17, 2022). "Doug Mastriano, a far-right 2020 election denier, is Pennsylvania Republicans' choice for governor". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Allan (May 17, 2022). "Far-right election denier Mastriano wins GOP race for governor in Pennsylvania". NBC News. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Dunklau, Sam (May 17, 2022). "A far-right election denier wins GOP governor primary in swing state of Pennsylvania". NPR. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Dias, Elizabeth (July 8, 2022). "The Far-Right Christian Quest for Power: 'We Are Seeing Them Emboldened'". The New York Times.
The separation of church and state was a 'myth,' he said. 'In November we are going to take our state back, my God will make it so.' Mr. Mastriano's ascension in Pennsylvania is perhaps the most prominent example of right-wing candidates for public office who explicitly aim to promote Christian power in America. The religious right has long supported conservative causes, but this current wave seeks more: a nation that actively prioritizes their particular set of Christian beliefs and far-right views and that more openly embraces Christianity as a bedrock identity.
- ^ Peter Smith; Deepa Bharath (May 29, 2022). "Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns". Associated Press.
- ^ a b c Griswold, Eliza (May 9, 2021). "A Pennsylvania Lawmaker and the Resurgence of Christian Nationalism". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Hanonoki, Eric (July 13, 2021). "PA state Sen. Doug Mastriano promoted QAnon on Twitter over 50 times". Media Matters for America. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ "GOP fears far-right candidate will be PA governor nominee". The Independent. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Huangpu, Kate (April 18, 2022). "Pa. primary election 2022: Your guide to the Democratic and GOP candidates for governor". Spotlight PA. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c Seidman, Andrew (April 27, 2022). "A top GOP candidate for governor campaigned at an event promoting QAnon and conspiracy theories about 9/11". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Pa. GOP lawmaker Doug Mastriano says he left the Capitol area before the riot. New videos say otherwise". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Kaleigh (November 1, 2022). "Meet The Midterm Candidates Who Attended The Jan. 6 Rally". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Allan; Jester, Julia (June 2, 2022). "Doug Mastriano, Pa. GOP nominee for governor, cooperating with Jan. 6 panel". NBC News. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Thompson, Charles (August 19, 2022). "Pa. governor candidate Doug Mastriano shuts down Jan. 6th committee deposition in dispute over recording, rules". PennLive Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ "Area Hospital Births: St. Peter's General Hospital; Mastriano". The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, NJ. January 9, 1964. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary, Richard Louis Mastriano". The Times. Trenton, NJ. December 31, 2019 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ "Senator Doug Mastriano announces plan to run for Governor". WFMZ-TV 69 News. January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ "Local happenings: Douglas V. Mastriano" (PDF). The Hightstown Gazette. Hightstown, NJ. June 23, 1983. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ "Area Students Inducted Into National Honor Societies". Messenger-Press. Allentown, NJ. May 12, 1983. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Reyes, Juliana Feliciano; Seidman, Andrew (May 4, 2022). "Doug Mastriano embodies a Christian nationalist movement as he runs for governor: 'We have the power of God'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Doug Mastriano". Pennsylvania State Senate. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Mastriano, Doug (July 3, 2019). "Sen. Doug Mastriano: Fighting for you in District 33 and in Harrisburg". Public Opinion. Chambersburg, PA.
- ^ a b Julia, Manchester (September 15, 2022). "Shapiro rolls out new ad hitting Mastriano over 2001 thesis". The Hill. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Kuhn, Roland (July 31, 2023). "The Douglas Mastriano Scandal: A fraudulent PhD thesis from a Canadian university gets entangled in US politics". Canadian Perspectives on Academic Integrity. 6 (1). doi:10.11575/cpai.v6i1.76914. ISSN 2561-6218.
- ^ "University makes new review of Mastriano's doctoral research". AP NEWS. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ MacDonald, Michael (October 18, 2022). "University of New Brunswick investigating how Trump ally was awarded PhD in 2013 | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Panetta, Alexander (October 5, 2022). "A controversy-courting U.S. politician causes stir on Canadian university campus". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ "A Canadian university's deadline on its investigation into Doug Mastriano's doctoral thesis has passed. Here's what we know". WITF. July 28, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ "UNB to investigate fraud allegations against former PhD student with ties to Trump". The Canadian Press. CBC News. May 4, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Michael MacDonald (May 3, 2023). "University of New Brunswick starts formal investigation into Trump ally's PhD". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Worden, Amy (May 5, 2023). "Questions about Doug Mastriano's thesis spur university fraud probe: reports". PennLIVE Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Cox, Aidan (July 12, 2024). "Controversial U.S. politician sues UNB for releasing his widely criticized PhD thesis". CBC News. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ "Campaign 2018: Republican enters crowded race for 9th District seat". Indiana Gazette. February 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Col Douglas V. Mastriano, PhD". William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium, Norwich University. Archived from the original on May 1, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ Montgomery, Nancy (September 26, 2008). "Officer says he's pinpointed York's stand". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ a b "Biography – Senator Douglas V. Mastriano, Ph.D. (Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired)". Senate of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State Government. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Hardy, Shawn (February 9, 2018). "Mastriano to Run for Congress". The Record Herald. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Hardy, Shawn (February 13, 2018). "Franklin County man running for Shuster's seat". The Echo-Pilot. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Cohn, Nate; Bloch, Matthew; Quealy, Kevin (February 19, 2018). "The New Pennsylvania Congressional Map, District by District". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c Dickinson, Tim (August 16, 2022). "Ban Gay Marriage, Deport Dreamers: Doug Mastriano's Extreme Views Caught on Tape". The Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Fisher, Tyler; Frostenson, Sarah; Lin, Jeremy C.F.; McClure, Jon; Mihalik, Lily (May 17, 2018). "2018 Pennsylvania Election Results". Politico. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano announces bid for state Senate". The Record Herald. January 22, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Rose, Andrea (April 1, 2019). "Doug Mastriano named Republican nominee for the 33rd Senatorial District to replace retired Sen. Rich Alloway". The Record Herald. Waynesboro, PA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Carbonare, Jossie (May 22, 2019). "Republican candidate Doug Mastriano wins 33rd District State Senate seat". WPMT Fox43. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Cloonan, Patrick. "Pittman takes seat in Harrisburg". Indiana Gazette. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hullinger, Logan. "GOP candidate for Alloway's state Senate seat accused of spreading Islamophobia". York Dispatch. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano Fighting for Freedom". www.facebook.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Hardison, Elizabeth (May 6, 2019). "Conspiratorial, anti-Muslim memes populated Facebook page of state Senate candidate". Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
- ^ Ganley, Elaine (June 26, 2019). "Paris prosecutor: no sign Notre Dame fire of criminal origin". AP News. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Aimee (May 8, 2019). "State Senate candidate facing questions for Facebook posts". ABC27.
- ^ "Mastriano should leave Facebook". The Gettysburg Times. August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ South, Amber (November 4, 2020). "PA-33 Senate race: Doug Mastriano fends off challenger Rich Sterner". Chambersburg Public Opinion. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Nowell, Joyce F. (November 1, 2019). "Franklin County legislators address chamber members". Herald-Mail Media.
- ^ Bender, William (October 8, 2022). "Legal weed in Pennsylvania? Not if Doug Mastriano can stop it". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (May 24, 2022). "After primary, Mastriano rejoins closed Senate GOP meetings". AP News. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Hall, Peter; Miller, Cassie; Lyons, Kim (December 28, 2023). "Weird Pennsylvania: Bills that make you go 'hmmmm'". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Boeckel, Teresa. "Gettysburg protest draws call for removal of Confederate statues, criticism of response". York Daily Record. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Isenberg, Britt. "Gettysburg expert: Park Service and 'patriots' failed the community last week (letter)". Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Sen. Mastriano unveils new bill aimed at protecting confederate monument". CBS 21. October 8, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Gisriel, Sarah (March 18, 2020). "Midstate lawmaker urging suspension of HIPAA protections among COVID19 outbreak". ABC 27.
- ^ Leigh, Harri (March 29, 2020). "Proposed legislation would allow all businesses in PA to reopen". Fox 43. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Information – Senate Bill 1103; Regular Session 2019–2020". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Norristown (April 20, 2020). "Watch Live: PA Protest Against Coronavirus Shutdowns". Patch. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Pennsylvania state senator calls for resignation of Secretary of Health". WPXI. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Benshoff, Laura. "Clash over reopening economy simmers below the surface in rural Pa. COVID hotspot". WHYY. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Sholtis, Brett (July 20, 2020). "Chambersburg postal workers refuse to wear masks, and the state can't do anything about it". WITF. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- ^ Marroni, Steve (July 22, 2020). "Rally held at Capitol to protest mask mandates, Gov. Wolf's coronavirus restrictions". PennLive. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Whittaker, John (March 1, 2022). "Bill would allow off-label drugs to treat COVID-19". Times Observer. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Hinks, Timothy S C; Cureton, Lucy; Knight, Ruth; Wang, Ariel; Cane, Jennifer L; Barber, Vicki S; Black, Joanna; Dutton, Susan J; Melhorn, James; Jabeen, Maisha; Moss, Phil; Garlapati, Rajendar; Baron, Tanya; Johnson, Graham; Cantle, Fleur; Clarke, David; Elkhodair, Samer; Underwood, Jonathan; Lasserson, Daniel; Pavord, Ian D; Morgan, Sophie; Richards, Duncan (October 2021). "Azithromycin versus standard care in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (ATOMIC2): an open-label, randomised trial". The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 9 (10): 1130–1140. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(21)00263-0. ISSN 2213-2600. PMC 8270523. PMID 34252378. S2CID 235779746.
- ^ López-Medina, Eduardo; López, Pío; Hurtado, Isabel C.; Dávalos, Diana M; Ramirez, Oscar; Martínez, Ernesto; Díazgranados, Jesus A.; Oñate, José M.; Chavarriaga, Hector; Herrera, Sócrates; Parra, Beatriz; Libreros, Gerardo; Jaramillo, Roberto; Avendaño, Ana C.; Toro, Dilian F.; Torres, Miyerlandi; Lesmes, Maria C.; Rios, Carlos A.; Caicedo, Isabella (April 13, 2021). "Effect of Ivermectin on Time to Resolution of Symptoms Among Adults With Mild COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA. 325 (14): 1426–1435. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.3071. PMC 7934083. PMID 33662102.
- ^ Popp, Maria; Reis, Stefanie; Schießer, Selina; Hausinger, Renate Ilona; Stegemann, Miriam; Metzendorf, Maria-Inti; Kranke, Peter; Meybohm, Patrick; Skoetz, Nicole; Weibel, Stephanie (June 21, 2022). "Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID-19". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2022 (6): CD015017. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD015017.pub3. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 9215332. PMID 35726131.
- ^ Axfors, Cathrine; Schmitt, Andreas M.; Janiaud, Perrine; van't Hooft, Janneke; Abd-Elsalam, Sherief; Abdo, Ehab F.; Abella, Benjamin S.; Akram, Javed; Amaravadi, Ravi K.; Angus, Derek C.; Arabi, Yaseen M.; Azhar, Shehnoor; Baden, Lindsey R.; Baker, Arthur W.; Belkhir, Leila; Benfield, Thomas; Berrevoets, Marvin A. H.; Chen, Cheng-Pin; Chen, Tsung-Chia; Cheng, Shu-Hsing; Cheng, Chien-Yu; Chung, Wei-Sheng; Cohen, Yehuda Z.; Cowan, Lisa N.; Dalgard, Olav; de Almeida e Val, Fernando F.; de Lacerda, Marcus V. G.; de Melo, Gisely C.; Derde, Lennie; Dubee, Vincent; Elfakir, Anissa; Gordon, Anthony C.; Hernandez-Cardenas, Carmen M.; Hills, Thomas; Hoepelman, Andy I. M.; Huang, Yi-Wen; Igau, Bruno; Jin, Ronghua; Jurado-Camacho, Felipe; Khan, Khalid S.; Kremsner, Peter G.; Kreuels, Benno; Kuo, Cheng-Yu; Le, Thuy; Lin, Yi-Chun; Lin, Wu-Pu; Lin, Tse-Hung; Lyngbakken, Magnus Nakrem; McArthur, Colin; McVerry, Bryan J.; Meza-Meneses, Patricia; Monteiro, Wuelton M.; Morpeth, Susan C.; Mourad, Ahmad; Mulligan, Mark J.; Murthy, Srinivas; Naggie, Susanna; Narayanasamy, Shanti; Nichol, Alistair; Novack, Lewis A.; O'Brien, Sean M.; Okeke, Nwora Lance; Perez, Léna; Perez-Padilla, Rogelio; Perrin, Laurent; Remigio-Luna, Arantxa; Rivera-Martinez, Norma E.; Rockhold, Frank W.; Rodriguez-Llamazares, Sebastian; Rolfe, Robert; Rosa, Rossana; Røsjø, Helge; Sampaio, Vanderson S.; Seto, Todd B.; Shahzad, Muhammad; Soliman, Shaimaa; Stout, Jason E.; Thirion-Romero, Ireri; Troxel, Andrea B.; Tseng, Ting-Yu; Turner, Nicholas A.; Ulrich, Robert J.; Walsh, Stephen R.; Webb, Steve A.; Weehuizen, Jesper M.; Velinova, Maria; Wong, Hon-Lai; Wrenn, Rebekah; Zampieri, Fernando G.; Zhong, Wu; Moher, David; Goodman, Steven N.; Ioannidis, John P. A.; Hemkens, Lars G. (December 2021). "Mortality outcomes with hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in COVID-19 from an international collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 2349. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.2349A. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22446-z. PMC 8050319. PMID 33859192.
- ^ Reis, Gilmar; Moreira Silva, Eduardo Augusto dos Santos; Medeiros Silva, Daniela Carla; Thabane, Lehana; Singh, Gurmit; Park, Jay J. H.; Forrest, Jamie I.; Harari, Ofir; Quirino dos Santos, Castilho Vitor; Guimarães de Almeida, Ana Paula Figueiredo; Figueiredo Neto, Adhemar Dias de; Savassi, Leonardo Cançado Monteiro; Milagres, Aline Cruz; Teixeira, Mauro Martins; Simplicio, Maria Izabel Campos; Ribeiro, Luciene Barra; Oliveira, Rosemary; Mills, Edward J. (April 22, 2021). "Effect of Early Treatment With Hydroxychloroquine or Lopinavir and Ritonavir on Risk of Hospitalization Among Patients With COVID-19: The TOGETHER Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA Network Open. 4 (4): e216468. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.6468. PMC 8063069. PMID 33885775.
- ^ Self, Wesley H.; et al. (December 1, 2020). "Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Clinical Status at 14 Days in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA. 324 (21): 2165–2176. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22240. PMC 7653542. PMID 33165621.
- ^ a b Dealno, Jon (July 26, 2022). "Doug Mastriano's plan to allow armed teachers and staff in schools brings strong reaction from Josh Shapiro". CBS 2. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Mastriano, Doug (December 5, 2019). "Op-Ed: MS4 Regulations – Dangerous Overreach by the Harrisburg Bureaucracy". Senator Doug Mastriano. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Creitz, Charles (November 6, 2020). "Pennsylvania voters 'no longer feel secure' about elections, GOP state lawmaker claims". Fox News. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ O'Laughlin, Lindsey (November 10, 2020). "State GOP lawmakers call for election audit after Trump's fraud claims". York Dispatch. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Media Advisory: Mastriano and Senate Majority Policy Committee to vet Election Issues". Senator Doug Mastriano. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Sholtis, Brett (December 3, 2020). "As GOP State Senators Held Public Event, White House Warned Of COVID 'Red-Zone'". WITF – via WESA.
- ^ a b PA Senate GOP [@PASenateGOP] (November 24, 2020). "Wednesday @ 12:30 p.m., the #PASenate Majority Policy Committee, chaired by @SenatorArgall, will hold an informational meeting on 2020 election issues. Members will meet in Gettysburg and remotely. Streamed live @ http://PASenateGOP.com" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Trump Cancels Trip To PA GOP Election Meeting: Reports". news.yahoo.com. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Couloumbis, Angela (December 12, 2020). "'Mistakes were made' at Mastriano's maskless election hearing, Pa. Senate leader says". The Gettysburg Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g Scolforo, Mark (November 29, 2020). "Source: Pa. lawmaker gets a positive test at Trump meeting". AP News. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c Bender, William; Couloumbis, Angela (November 26, 2020). "President Trump invited Pa. lawmakers to the White House. Then everyone went silent". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Mastriano, Doug; Arnold, David J. Jr.; Brooks, Michele; Scavello, Mario M. (November 27, 2020). "Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda: Memorandum: Resolution: Disputing the 2020 General Election".
- ^ Mastriano, Doug [@SenMastriano] (November 28, 2020). "Thread: There is mounting evidence that the PA presidential election was compromised. If this is the case, under Article II, Section 1.2 of the US Constitution, the state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College. (1) // This power was given to the state legislature for the purpose of safeguarding the appointment of our President, specifically contemplating corruption and ensuring that the people are not disenfranchised through a corrupt election process. (2) // Therefore, we are introducing a Resolution to exercise our obligation and authority to appoint delegates to the Electoral College. (3)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b The Dispatch Editorial Board (December 3, 2020). "Editorial: Mastriano isn't a hack. He's much worse". York Dispatch. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ Seidman, Andrew (December 5, 2020). "A Pa. senator gets a political boost from pushing Trump's false election claims — with 2022 in sight". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Prose, J.D. (December 9, 2020). "Handicapping Pa.'s 2022 gubernatorial race: As year comes to a close, plenty of contenders". The Beaver County Times.
- ^ a b Mastriano, Doug (December 11, 2020). "Sen. Mastriano: I'm trying to prevent Gov. Wolf from hijacking the election (opinion)". York Daily Record.
- ^ a b Scolforo, Mark; Levy, Marc (December 1, 2020). "After White House test, Pa. senator calls COVID-19 case mild". AP News. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Gorsegner, Michael (December 1, 2020). "Pennsylvania State Senator Judy Ward announces positive COVID-19 test". 21 News WFMJ – via MSN.
- ^ "Sen. Judy Ward". November 30, 2020 – via Facebook.
- ^ a b Scolforo, Mark; Levy, Marc (December 1, 2020). "After White House test, Pa. senator calls COVID-19 case mild". AP News.
- ^ Calefati, Jessica (December 7, 2020). "Fact-checking false claims about Pennsylvania's presidential election by Trump and his allies". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Pres. Donald Trump Talks With Eric About 'The Greatest Scam In The History Of Our Country'". The Eric Metaxas Show. November 30, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Fearnow, Benjamin (December 6, 2020). "Rudy Giuliani Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Attending a Number of Election Hearings Maskless". Newsweek.
- ^ Meyer, Katie; Bryan, Miles; Briggs, Ryan (January 12, 2021). "Mastriano campaign spent thousands on buses ahead of D.C. insurrection". WHYY.
- ^ Dil, Cuneyt (January 6, 2021). "West Virginia delegate records himself storming U.S. Capitol". AP News. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "State Sen. Doug Mastriano tells supporters to stand down". York Dispatch. January 14, 2021.
- ^ Roebuck, Jeremy; Seidman, Andrew (May 25, 2021). "Pa. GOP lawmaker Doug Mastriano says he left the Capitol area before the riot. New videos say otherwise". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ a b 'I was a moderating force,' says controversial Pa. GOP Senator Doug Mastriano in interview, ABC27, Dennis Owens, June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ Harvey, Josephine (May 25, 2021). "Videos Contradict State Lawmaker's Claim He Left Capitol While It Was 'Still Peaceful'". HuffPost. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ Dunklau, Sam (May 28, 2021). "Pa. Sen. Mastriano unlikely to face consequences over newly released Jan. 6 videos at the Capitol". WITF-TV. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ Cohen, Zachary; Reid, Paula (June 2, 2022). "Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate was questioned by FBI after photos emerged of him on January 6". CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Capitol Breach Cases". www.justice.gov. February 4, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Sholtis, Brett (December 30, 2022). "Doug Mastriano 'apparently' called Mike Pence on the day of the insurrection". WHYY. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Arizona GOP Election Audit Draws More Republican Politicians". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ Corse, Alexa (May 23, 2021). "The Republican-majority Maricopa County board says the audit ordered by Senate leaders is a mismanaged 'spectacle'". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Jonathan J.; Christie, Bob (May 10, 2021). "Inside Arizona's election audit, GOP fraud fantasies live on". Associated Press. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ "Wake Technology Services audited a Pennsylvania election as part of the #StopTheSteal movement". Arizona Mirror. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (June 3, 2021). "Trump Reportedly Thinks Audits Will Lead To Reinstatement Of Defeated GOP Senators". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ Giles, Ben (May 6, 2021). "Justice Department: Arizona Senate Audit, Recount May Violate Federal Law". National Public Radio. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ Epstein, Reid J.; Corasaniti, Nick (May 24, 2021). "Long After Trump's Loss, a Push to Inspect Ballots Persists". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Walsh, Joe (November 20, 2020). "Who Is Sidney Powell? Meet Trump's New Top Conspiracy Theorist". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Helderman, Rosalind S. (June 6, 2021). "'It was like this rogue thing': How the push by Trump allies to undermine the 2020 results through ballot reviews started quietly in Pennsylvania". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ Seldman, Andrew (February 15, 2022). "Doug Mastriano was subpoenaed by the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
- ^ Doug Mastriano will be interviewed by the Jan. 6 congressional committee and he provided some documents, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chris Brennan, June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Seidman, Andrew (June 28, 2022). "Doug Mastriano is sticking to his MAGA playbook in the general election for Pa. governor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Swan, Betsy Woodruff (September 1, 2022). "Trump-aligned Pa. governor nominee Mastriano sues Jan. 6 committee". Politico. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Caruso, Stephen (January 19, 2024). "What's next for the Jan. 6th ethics complaint against Doug Mastriano". Spotlight PA. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano is waiting on a financial sign from God about running for governor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 22, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Levy, Marc (May 10, 2022). "GOP fears far-right candidate will be PA governor nominee". AP News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Mastriano announces candidacy for Pennsylvania governor". Associated Press. January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Seidman, Andrew (May 12, 2022). "Lou Barletta is getting new support in the governor's race as GOP leaders try to stop Doug Mastriano". inquirer.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Jennings, Natalie (May 20, 2022). "Doug Mastriano really believes Trump's lies about 2020. He also might be Pennsylvania's next governor". Vox. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Kaylor, Brian; Underwood, Beau. "Christian Nationalism as the Keystone". A Public Witness. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Allan; Gomez, Henry J. (May 12, 2022). "Doug Mastriano's far-right path to front-runner status upends Pa.'s GOP primary for governor". NBC News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Stelter, Brian (May 9, 2022). "Analysis: Candidates in Republican primaries are trying to dodge journalists". CNN. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Mueller, Julia (November 13, 2022). "Mastriano concedes to Shapiro, calls for election reform". The Hill. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Vaillancourt, William (November 12, 2022). "Fetterman's Republican Predecessor Turns on Trump After Dr. Oz' Big Loss". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano has been consistent about his abortion views for years". WITF. September 28, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Glueck, Katie (September 27, 2022). "Mastriano Said in 2019 That His Bill Would Treat Abortions as Murder". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Reyes, Juliana Feliciano; Seidman, Andrew (May 4, 2022). "Doug Mastriano embodies a Christian nationalist movement as he runs for governor: 'We have the power of God'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Potter, Chris (September 28, 2022). "Doug Mastriano doubles down on abortion restrictions during Pa. governor race - WHYY". WHYY.org. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Allan (September 27, 2022). "In 2019, Doug Mastriano said women who violated proposed abortion ban should be charged with murder". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Phillips, Amber. "Who is Doug Mastriano, the GOP nominee for governor in Pennsylvania?". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Orso, Anna. "The next Pa. governor will decide the future of abortion here. Shapiro and Mastriano's records are wildly different". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Josh Shapiro is the clear choice for Pennsylvania governor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ McGoldrick, Gillian. "Josh Shapiro's campaign, in first ad of $16.9 million buy, declares Doug Mastriano's anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ beliefs 'too risky for Pa.'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "Mastriano leads rise in Christian nationalism among GOP candidates". Associated Press. May 29, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Siders, David (June 10, 2022). "'Comes Across as a Cult Guy': The Pennsylvania Candidate Freaking Out Both the Left and the Right". Politico Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Bender, William (August 19, 2022). "Doug Mastriano's comments on Islam and climate change resurface, the latest hit for his campaign". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. finds no evidence flaws in Dominion voting machines were ever exploited". Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Levy, Marc (June 2, 2022). "Explainer: Can Pa. gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano make voters re-register?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Dawsey, Josh. "Doug Mastriano's Pa. victory could give 2020 denier oversight of 2024". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Bender, William (July 18, 2022). "Doug Mastriano is deleting his videos from Facebook as he runs for Pa. governor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ Cook, John; Oreskes, Naomi; Doran, Peter T.; Anderegg, William R. L.; et al. (2016). "Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming". Environmental Research Letters. 11 (4): 048002. Bibcode:2016ERL....11d8002C. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002. hdl:1983/34949783-dac1-4ce7-ad95-5dc0798930a6.
- ^ Powell, James Lawrence (November 20, 2019). "Scientists Reach 100% Consensus on Anthropogenic Global Warming". Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. 37 (4): 183–184. doi:10.1177/0270467619886266. S2CID 213454806. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ Lynas, Mark; Houlton, Benjamin Z.; Perry, Simon (October 19, 2021). "Greater than 99% consensus on human caused climate change in the peer-reviewed scientific literature". Environmental Research Letters. 16 (11): 114005. Bibcode:2021ERL....16k4005L. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966. S2CID 239032360.
- ^ Myers, Krista F.; Doran, Peter T.; Cook, John; Kotcher, John E.; Myers, Teresa A. (October 20, 2021). "Consensus revisited: quantifying scientific agreement on climate change and climate expertise among Earth scientists 10 years later". Environmental Research Letters. 16 (10): 104030. Bibcode:2021ERL....16j4030M. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac2774. S2CID 239047650.
- ^ Lakhani, Nina; Milman, Oliver (November 4, 2022). "Republican candidates on climate: 'fake science' to 'carbon is healthy'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c Meyer, Katie (August 24, 2022). "Slashed funding, equity, parent choice: Pa. gov candidates have hugely different education plans". WHYY-FM. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ Shoaib, Alia (October 2, 2022). "Doug Mastriano bizarrely pledged to ban pole dancing from schools if he is elected governor of Pennsylvania". Insider Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "Trump moves to general election mode with Pennsylvania rally". Associated Press. September 3, 2022.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano: is the Trump-backed election denier too extreme to win?". The Guardian. October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Doug Mastriano, Republican for State Senate". Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ McClure, Kelly (August 26, 2022). "Doug Mastriano says it's "disgusting" to discourage conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ kids". Salon.com. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Mastriano Announces Bill Prohibiting Pediatric Gender Transition Surgeries". September 23, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ Bender, William (October 25, 2022). "The final days of Doug Mastriano's shoestring campaign: Is his 'army' of fans enough?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Knuston, Jacob (May 14, 2022). "Trump endorses Doug Mastriano for governor of Pennsylvania". Axios. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ "Here are the key primary election results from Pennsylvania". NPR. May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ Weisman, Jonathan (June 16, 2022). "Democrats' Risky Bet: Aid G.O.P. Extremists in Spring, Hoping to Beat Them in Fall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Andrew Torba: Five Things to Know | ADL". Anti-Defamation League. August 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ^ Mathias, Christopher (July 15, 2022). "Gab Was Key To The Tree Of Life Shooting. Doug Mastriano Seems To Be Paying It For Followers". HuffPost. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Bender, William (July 21, 2022). "A Jewish Republican group is denouncing Doug Mastriano's links to an extremist social-media site". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ^ Morrison, Oliver (July 13, 2022). "GOP candidate for Pa. governor Mastriano paid $5,000 to the website used by the Tree of Life shooter". 90.5 WESA. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Deto, Ryan (July 21, 2022). "Pittsburgh Jewish, Black leaders call out Doug Mastriano for ties to Gab social platform". TribLIVE. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Joffree, Tzvi (July 26, 2022). "Jews, non-Christians not part of conservative movement - GOP candidate consultant". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Deto, Ryan (July 29, 2022). "Doug Mastriano's Gab page removed, candidate responds to criticism of social media platform". TribLIVE. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Kornbluh, Jacob (August 3, 2022). "Mastriano fights back against antisemitism accusations, citing use of shofar". The Forward. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Allan (November 9, 2022). "Democrat Josh Shapiro defeats Republican Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania governor's race". NBC News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Epstein, Reid (September 26, 2022). "Mastriano's Sputtering Campaign: No TV Ads, Tiny Crowds, Little Money". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Brennan, Chris (August 15, 2022). "Josh Shapiro's new ads cite Doug Mastriano's ties to antisemitic content on Gab". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Fischler, Jacob (August 10, 2022). "DPa. Rep. Perry says feds seized his cell phone after search at Mar-a-Lago". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Korbluh, Jacob (September 15, 2022). "PA governor race: Mastriano attacks Shapiro for going to Jewish day school". The Forward. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Tornoe, Rob (September 16, 2022). "CNN's Jake Tapper rebukes Doug Mastriano's claims about Jewish school in Philly suburbs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Samuels, Ben (October 12, 2022). "Hitler's Car Becomes Latest Scandal in Key Pennsylvania Election". Haaretz. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Cohen, Benyamin (October 3, 2022). "New details about Trump-Kushner relationship leak ahead of blockbuster book release". The Forward. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ^ Joffre, Tzvi (October 30, 2022). "GOP candidate Doug Mastriano's wife: 'We love Israel more than Jews'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Bender, William (September 28, 2022). "As campaign struggles, Doug Mastriano plans '40 days of fasting and prayer'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ Bender, William (October 16, 2022). "In a rare rebuke, two retired War College professors say Doug Mastriano is unfit to be governor". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ^ Dale, Daniel (November 7, 2022). "Trump and other Republicans are already casting doubt on midterm results". CNN. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Siwy, Bruce (November 11, 2022). "Doug Mastriano refuses to concede in Pa. amid new baseless allegations from Trump". Erie Times-News. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Campisi, Jon (July 5, 2022). "Mastriano Supporters Seen Carrying Three Percenters Flag During Parade". Patch.com. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Clarkson, Frederick (July 4, 2022). "He's on a mission from God: Pennsylvania GOP candidate Doug Mastriano's war with the world". salon.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c Hananoki, Eric (August 17, 2022). "Doug Mastriano's campaign 'prophet': Political executions are coming, Biden 'is no longer alive,' Pelosi drinks 'children's blood'". Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Walker, Carl (August 20, 2022). "'Flow from the pulpit:' The LifeGate church members providing security to Doug Mastriano". LNP. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Hand Symbols, Raised Arms and QAnon Theme Music: How Recent Far-Right Rallies Took an Ominous Tone". People. September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Bender, William (September 20, 2022). "New 'prophet' on the campaign trial with Doug Mastriano is a prayer-coin salesman who calls Biden the 'antichrist'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 21, 2022 – via The Morning Call.
- ^ Sofield, Tom (October 1, 2022). "Mastriano Brings Campaign For Governor To Bucks County, Calls For 'New Day' In PA". Levittownnow.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Hananoki, Eric (September 28, 2022). "Doug Mastriano is holding an event with Jack Posobiec, who has collaborated with neo-Nazis and spread antisemitism". Media Matters. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ "Florida State Rep. Wants Attacking "Political Affiliation" to Be Hate Crime". Miami New Times. September 28, 2017. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
- ^ Obeidallah, Dean (August 15, 2019). "New York Young Republicans Flirt With the Racist Right". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ Hayden, Michael Edison (July 8, 2020). "Twitter Gave Free Rein for Jack Posobiec To Publish Antisemitic Hate and Disinformation". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Hayden, Michael Edison (July 8, 2020). "Jack Posobiec's Rise Tied to White Supremacist Movement". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Sollenberger, Rolly (November 1, 2022). "PA Guv Candidate Doug Mastriano's Secret Meme Page Is a Far-Right Rats' Nest". The Daily Beat. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Brennan, Chris (September 28, 2022). "Mastriano mocks Shapiro as 'little Josh.' Shapiro's revenge: a massive bank account". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stewart, Phil (August 26, 2022). "Exclusive: Pennsylvania candidate Mastriano posed in Confederate uniform at Army War College". Reuters. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c Hananoki, Eric (August 29, 2022). "In Facebook video, Doug Mastriano thanked pro-Confederate armed men for supposedly defending Gen. Lee statue". Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ a b "Biographer of WWI hero Sergeant York named Winner of 2015 Colby Award". The Northfield News. February 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Craig S. (October 26, 2006). "Proof offered of Sgt. York's war exploits". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ "Author Douglas V. Mastriano Wins Crader Book Prize". Broadway Books. May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ "AUSA Book Wins Four Awards". Association of the United States Army. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ Scolforo, Mark (March 20, 2021). "In French woods, rivals take aim at senator's WWI research". AP News.
- ^ "Publisher to reissue Pa. Sen. Doug Mastriano's WWI book with corrections". Trib Live. Associated Press. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Battledetective Battle studies". battledetective.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Kelly, Michael (August 30, 2018). Hero on the Western Front: Discovering Alvin York's WWI Battlefield. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5267-0077-3.
- ^ "Sergeant Alvin York: Personal Accounts That Reveal His True Story". Warfare History Network. September 28, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Project 1704: U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, Appropriate U.S. Response, and Implications for U.S. Landpower – Putin's Rise to Power, Military, Ukraine Crisis (Report). January 13, 2017. ISBN 978-1520122106.
- ^ Mastriano, Douglas V., ed. (March 22, 2017). Project 1721: A U.S. Army War College Assessment On Russian Strategy In Eastern Europe And Recommendations On How To Leverage Landpower To Maintain The Peace. Strategic Studies Institute (Report). Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Project 1704: A U.S. Army War College Analysis of Russian Strategy in Eastern Europe, an Appropriate U.S. Response, and the Implications for U.S. Landpower. Strategic Studies Institute (Report). March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Mastriano, Douglas V. (June 2002). Nebuchadnezzar's Sphinx: What Have We Learned from Baghdad's Plan to Take Kuwait? (PDF) (Thesis). Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Mastriano, Douglas V. (April 2001). The Civilian Putsch of 2018: Debunking The Myth of a Civil-Military Leadership Rift (PDF) (Report). Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 29, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c Wildstein, David (September 16, 2022). "Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee was registered to vote in N.J. until 2021". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ "Senator Doug Mastriano". Senate of Pennsylvania. 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
Doug is married to Rebecca (Stewart). […] Their son Josiah is a graduate of Liberty University, and an Eagle Scout, Canadian Chief Scout and recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.
- ^ Griswold, Eliza (October 31, 2022). "How Election Subversion Went Mainstream in Pennsylvania". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Kampeas, Ron (November 3, 2020). "GOP nominee had role in Holocaust film that likened abortion, gun control to Nazism". The Times of Israel. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Reinhard, Beth; Itkowitz, Colby; Helderman, Rosalind S. (November 2, 2022). "How Doug Mastriano ended up in a Holocaust film that troubles scholars". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ "Pa. Governor nominee linked to CMC church, right-wing politics". June 6, 2022.
- ^ The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare, National Public Radio, Rachel Tabachnick, August 19, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "SUMMARY REPORT ADAMS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION MAY 21, 2019". Adams County, Pennsylvania. May 21, 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Official Summary Report.pdf" (PDF). Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. May 28, 2019. p. 24. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "SUMMARY REPORT FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA OFFICIAL RESULTS PRIMARY ELECTION". Franklin County, Pennsylvania. May 28, 2019. p. 16. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Spring Municipal Primary 2019 May 21, 2019 Summary Report York County Official Results". York County, Pennsylvania. May 31, 2019. p. 1. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Summary Results Report 2020 GENERAL ELECTION November 3, 2020 Cumberland County" (PDF). Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. November 16, 2020. p. 22. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Summary Results Report Franklin County November 3, 2020 OFFICIAL RESULTS". Franklin County, Pennsylvania. November 13, 2020. p. 6. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Election Summary Report York County Summary for: All Contests, All Precincts, All Tabulators, All Counting GroupsOFFICIAL RESULTS November 03, 2020 General Election". York County, Pennsylvania. February 22, 2022. p. 15. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Election Summary Results Report GENERAL ELECTION November 3, 2020 OFFICIAL RESULTS ADAMS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA" (PDF). Adams County, Pennsylvania. November 12, 2020. p. 4. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Pennsylvania Governor Primary Election Results". The New York Times. May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "2022 General Election Official Returns - Governor". Pennsylvania Department of State.
External links
- Media related to Douglas V. Mastriano at Wikimedia Commons
- Gubernatorial campaign website
- Senatorial campaign website
- Legislative profile
- The Controversy Surrounding Sergeant York: Uncovering the WWI Iconic Hero's Background, posted by the University Press of Kentucky to the WordPress.com blog site, June 11, 2014
- Mastriano, Doug (August 2010). "Leadership Q&A". Officers' Christian Fellowship. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- WWI Scholar Brad Posey details flaws in Mastriano's York Location findings on C-SPAN Interview