Pennsylvania’s primary elections are over, and the Republican Party is in just as big a mess as when the campaigning began. One race is resolved, at least, with State Senator Doug Mastriano winning the gubernatorial nomination with 44 percent of the vote. The other race, for the U.S. Senate, is still in doubt, as Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick appear headed to a recount, each claiming about 31 percent of the primary vote.
Among the viable Republican candidates for the governor’s office, Mastriano was the most extreme, and his victory has led some observers to call again for open primaries. In the Democratic gubernatorial contest, far-left John Fetterman’s win over moderate Conor Lamb also suggests a primary electorate out of step with the mainstream – though Fetterman, unlike Mastriano, did command a majority of his party’s voters.
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