Josh Shapiro Defends Primary Advertisement Linking Mastrian’s Arc to Trump – Morning Call

Josh Shapiro, a recently nominated Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, defended a television commercial he showed Sunday that seemed to boost the Republican rival he would face in November, a man Shapiro called the most extreme candidate. in the governor of the country. .

Advertising is part of the company’s long-term strategy of tactics: to raise its most extreme competitor and single out disgruntled tolerants from that rival’s party in November. Last week, Axios noted that the rise of Trump-oriented far-right candidates could test this theory and that Democrats were “trying to project the rise of ultra-MAG candidates who they think would be easier to win in the general election.”

But in today’s highly polarized environment, where party affiliation is deeply intertwined with people’s sense of identity, this strategy could have the opposite effect, which many Democrats were stunned to learn in 2016.

During the Republican primaries, Shapiro, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, posted an announcement in which State Senator Doug Mastrian called “one of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters.” Further in the advertisement it was said that Mastriana “wants to finish voting by mail. He fought for the verification of the 2020 elections. If Mastriana wins, it is a victory for what Donald Trump stands for. “

Mastriana has been a central figure in Trump’s attempts to undo the 2020 presidential election, and if he wins in November, he may be able to undo the state election in 2024.

On Sunday, CNN presenter Dana Bash asked Shapiro if it was “irresponsible” to promote a candidate like Mastrian, “because you think you can beat him.”

It wasn’t, Shapiro said. For weeks, according to public and private polls, Mastriana led a crowded Republican field, and Shapiro, who was not running for Democratic nomination, said he wanted voters to understand the choices they would soon face.

“We started the general election campaign and showed a clear contrast, sharp differences between him and me,” Shapiro said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.