PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Republican insiders are making a last-ditch effort to rally behind a single candidate in the gubernatorial primary – and defeat the front-runner, Doug Mastriano.
Republican leaders are trying to corral Mastriano’s four leading rivals to urge all but one of them to drop out – and endorse the one with the best poll numbers. One version of the proposal calls for rallying behind former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, who was well-liked by former President Donald Trump and polling in second place in the latest public survey. It’s a longshot ploy a week before the primary that many Republicans believe is likely to fail.
But it reflects the panic in some quarters over the likelihood Mastriano, a far-right state senator from Franklin County, will lead the GOP ticket this fall.
