DeSantis stumps for Mastriano in key battleground state

The rally on the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh was a part of DeSantis’ national tour to bolster key Republican Senate and gubernatorial candidates who even have the backing of Trump. Last week, DeSantis spoke at rallies in Arizona for GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters and Kari Lake, the state’s Republican gubernatorial nominee. He can also be stumping for GOP Senate hopeful J.D. Vance in Ohio.

DeSantis has prevented echoing Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He has, for instance, stated Florida’s 2020 election outcomes went easily and has rejected calls to conduct a statewide audit of the outcomes.

The nationwide marketing campaign tour comes as DeSantis continues to money in on his rising recognition with conservative voters and amid continued hypothesis that he’ll launch a bid for president in 2024.

“It is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you what a governor should be, a fighter for the United States,” Mastriano stated, introducing DeSantis. “The best governor in the United States, America’s Ron DeSantis from Florida.”

Mastriano is operating in a nationally-watched race in opposition to Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Investigators with the Jan. 6 choose committee have accused Mastriano of plotting to recruit alternate electors in Pennsylvania at hand Trump a victory regardless of Biden successful the state. Mastriano was additionally on the Capitol earlier than insurgents attacked the complicated on Jan. 6. and has confronted blowback for his affiliation with far-right social media platform Gab co-founder Andrew Torba, who has made antisemitic remarks.

The Pennsylvania governor’s race is among the many most high-profile of the 2022 midterms. A recent poll from Public Opinion Strategies had Shapiro with a 50-35 benefit.

DeSantis, nevertheless, solely talked about Mastriano a handful of instances throughout the Friday rally and targeted totally on his accomplishments in Florida. He claimed, for instance, that Pennsylvania may change into the “Florida of the North” if voters elected Mastriano.

Much of DeSantis’ rally speech was a best hits of the speaking factors he has used in press conferences in Florida and elsewhere, together with how he rejected Covid-19 mandates, which helped gas DeSantis’ rise as a result of he reopened the Florida financial system sooner than most different states.

“Even some of these establishment Republicans were saying, ‘oh, you can’t do that because we were backing [Anthony] Fauci,’” DeSantis stated, referring to the nation’s prime infectious illness specialist, who throughout the pandemic grew to become a nationwide political boogeyman for Republicans. “We are not following some of these bureaucrats who had no regard for your freedom, who had no regard for the struggles that people were going through during their policies.”

DeSantis largely lauded his personal conservative accomplishments but in addition cobbled collectively a nationally-focused message on Covid restrictions.

“I see now Philadelphia is forcing masks on students,” DeSantis stated. “And they said that they were telling me that Pittsburgh may do that too. There is no justification for muzzling students for eight hours.”