Why AP called Pennsylvania governor race for Josh Shapiro
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Doug Mastriano could not catch up to Democrat Josh Shapiro's lead in the Pennsylvania governor's race. The deeper into the night it got, the clearer it was that the GOP state senator couldn't overtake Shapiro's lead.
That's when The Associated Press called the contest early Wednesday for the two-term attorney general.
Shapiro led in polls throughout the contest and had racked up record-sized campaign spending. He also adopted a low-key style, and campaigned on boosting education funding and expanding high-speed internet.
Mastriano won support from former President Donald Trump after pushing falsehoods about the 2020 election outcome and was present outside the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
He also campaigned with QAnon conspiracy theorists, election deniers and Christian nationalists. He's an abortion opponent who favors a ban on the procedure.