Faced with Doug Mastriano’s insurgent candidacy, the state’s Republican leaders chose to do precisely nothing to protect Pennsylvania from a fanatic who would use the power of the governor’s office to try to subvert the laws of the United States.
The state party chair, Lawrence Tabas, should resign for his failure to prevent Mastriano’s essential takeover of the Pennsylvania GOP. Importantly, his resignation would declare to the party that Mastriano’s candidacy should be not be considered, and cannot become, business as usual. A party that maintained its leadership after such a failure would acquiesce in becoming, explicitly, the party of political fantasy and conspiracy-mongering.
Under Tabas’ leadership, the state GOP took a hands-off approach to this year’s primaries. Perhaps he, and members of the party’s state committee, felt that endorsing candidates or attempting to curate the field would only strengthen Mastriano’s anti-establishment appeal. But doing nothing — until a pathetic eleventh-hour attempt to consolidate behind former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta — was a dereliction of duty not just to the party, but to all the people of Pennsylvania. There’s no point in being party leader if you won’t lead the party.
