Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania’s decision about its next chief executive — governor — presents a stark contrast.

The Democratic Party selected from within the mainstream establishment — current Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The Republican candidate, State Senator Doug Mastriano, has courted ties with far-right entities throughout the state.

Shapiro has hit Mastriano for hateful rhetoric, connections to anti-semitism, extreme positions and of tearing down democratic institutions.

Mastrian has hit Shapiro on crime, overdose deaths, sex-trafficking, denying school choice and aligning with Gov. Wolf and state officials over COVID-19 measures in schools.

The two candidates did not debate during the runup to Tuesday’s elections. Terms for such an engagement could not be agreed to.

Both candidates visited Warren County as part of the election cycle.

Shapiro was here back in April as part of a series of what his campaign called “grassroots campaign events,” meeting with supporters at The Plaza.

“Public service is in my blood,” he said, telling those in attendance that he’s done more listening than talking at these stops.

The goal is “to make sure all communities across our Commonwealth are seen and heard.”

Shapiro then discussed the issues at the forefront of his campaign: education, law enforcement and investment in the economy.

“We’ve gotta invest in our schools (and) our children,” he said, specifically in rural communities.

That includes less of a reliance on standardized tests and “more history, civics, arts and humanities” as well as emphasis on vocation and technological training, he said.

“Let’s help every young person achieve their full potential,” he added.

Shapiro spoke about the importance of investing in law enforcement “to bring police and communities together” as well as to “invest in an economy that lifts everybody up.”

He said that the issue of broadband internet has “got to be job number one.”

Shapiro spoke more generally about the role of state government.

“We are going to make sure Pennsylvanians don’t get screwed,” he said. “We will have a government… that puts people first,” calling that a “clear contrast” to Republican primary challengers.

He was specifically critical of Sen. Doug Mastriano — who won the Republican nomination — and his role in the Jan. 6 “insurrection.”

The Associated Press has reported that Mastriano organized bus trips to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and said he would be a scheduled speaker on the Capitol steps that day.

“That’s the modern day GOP,” Shapiro said. “I will always stand on the side of democracy…. Our democracy is on the ballot in this governor’s face. You have the power to make the difference.”

“I’ve been here a bunch of times,” he said. “I’ll keep coming back.

Mastriano met with supporters at the Cornerstone in May.

“We the people have the last word,” he said.

He stressed to those in attendance that this “election is really important.”

Mastriano discussed what his campaign describes as “election integrity” issues relative to the 2020 election, citing a hearing he held in Gettysburg in December 2020 at the height of the period where the election results were being challenged.

“What I heard in Gettysburg opened our eyes,” he said.

Mastriano didn’t address many specific policy issues during his remarks at that campaign stop.

“Everyone here in this room is hardworking,” he stressed, saying that Gov. Tom Wolf is “trying to break your back.”

According to his campaign website, Mastriano’s proposed actions as governor include a ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the elimination of no excuse mail-in voting, voter ID, banning Critical Race Theory and gender theory studies as well as efforts to eliminate the property tax.

He told supporters that the course of history can be changed as a result of next week’s election and said he expects to get 40 percent of the vote in the primary.

He was right — he pulled nearly 44 percent of Republican primary voters.

“Hell yes we will win the general election,” he said.