Doug Mastriano has finally conceded Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race after refusing to do so for four days.
The Republican candidate released a lengthy statement on Twitter on Sunday evening, declaring that he had been “massively outspent” by out-of-state Democrats.
“Difficult to accept as the results are, there is no right course but to concede,” said the candidate for governor, with no hint of understanding the inherent irony in that statement.
Mr Mastriano, long criticised by the left for his presence at the Capitol on January 6 and related adherence to Donald Trump’s stolen election conspiracies, was pilloried on Twitter by his detractors for taking so long to do so.
His race was called by the Associated Press and other networks shortly after midnight on election night, and the final results were not close; Mr Shapiro roundly defeated his GOP opponent by a nearly 15-point margin.
”You’re not gonna try to overturn the results like last time?” one commenter wrote in response to both Mr Mastriano and Jenna Ellis, a member of Donald Trump’s legal team, who had left her words of well-wishing in a reply to Mr Mastriano’s post.
Another person referenced a scandal in which it had been revealed that the US Army veteran Mastriano had posed for a photo wearing a uniform of a Confederate soldier.
“Look at this way, now you and the Confederacy have more in common,” they wrote.
“Classy but nearly a week late. Hopefully you'll come around and consider calling Shapiro like adults do. Oz did it immediately although his race was much closer,” added another commenter.
Still others noted that Mr Mastriano’s statement was still headed “governor”, though his campaign was over (and the letterhead did not technically even mention that he was only a candidate).
Mr Mastriano’s defeat to Democrat Josh Shapiro was an important defeat in the failed bid by Donald Trump to install election deniers at the highest levels of state governments around the country. Similarly minded Trump loyalists were defeated in Michigan, Maryland, and potentially Arizona if Kari Lake continues to trail her Democratic opponent.
Ms Lake’s race remains uncalled as votes continue to be counted; her supporters have already begun alleging baseless claims of fraud as Democrat Katie Hobbs solidifies her lead.
