If Republicans win the gubernatorial election in PA, there will not be a democratic election for president in 2024
A 100% pure MAGA authoritarian won the Republican primary:
Doug Mastriano, a far-right supporter of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election, has won the Republican primary for Pennsylvania Governor, moving the country a step closer to what could be a potential nightmare scenario in 2024.
To ascend to the governor’s seat, Mastriano still has to win what’s expected to be a fierce general election battle against Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro, the state’s attorney general. But Mastriano’s victory over a pack of Pennsylvania Republicans dramatically raises the stakes of the November contest. The Pennsylvania governor appoints the secretary of state, the official responsible for certifying presidential election results in the state. As Greg Sargent argued in the Washington Post, Mastriano could appoint a secretary of state who, amid baseless allegations of election fraud, certifies a losing GOP candidate as the victor of Pennsylvania. This certification would then be sent to Mastriano, who could forward it on to what might be a Republican-leaning Congress helmed by Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
“What must be conveyed clearly and unflinchingly is this: If Mastriano wins the general election, there is almost certainly no chance that a Democratic presidentialcandidate’s victory in Pennsylvania in 2024 will be certified by the state’s governor,” Sargent wrote.
The scary thing, of course, is that either it happens this year or it happens eventually.