With Election Day a week away, Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano on Tuesday brought his “Restore Freedom” campaign tour to C3 Sports in State College, where he and several guests spoke to a crowd of hundreds.
Speaking early in the evening Centre County GOP chair Michelle Schellberg said local residents are “are pissed off and ready to fight like hell for our freedom.”
“We heard the concerns while at events door knocking and even on the phone. High inflation is hurting our families and making it difficult to provide for basic needs. Fuel costs alone are more than double already,” she said.
Jodie Reese, of local group Lions for Liberty, also shared his support for Mastriano.
“He clearly demonstrates wisdom and leadership,” he said. “He was here to support our liberty when we needed a boost, so we need to be there now to support him.”
State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan, took the stage and touted Mastriano as the person to fix problems with the economy and schools.
“People lost jobs,” she said. “People died alone. Businesses are now closed. They think that we will forget, but we won’t… People can’t believe where we’ve gotten to.”
Far-right political commentator Jack Posobiec joined the roster of speakers and shared that his father went to Penn State, going on to incorporate local legend into his praise for Mastriano.
“You know, they say it’s been generations since an actual mountain lion has been seen on Mount Nittany,” Posobiec said. “Well, I come to you today with some breaking news because one has been spotted tonight and he is sitting right here in the front row.”
“We need a mountain lion in office. A mountain lion for our freedom. A mountain lion for our families, for our children, for business, for the economy, for jobs. And since we’re in town, I might as well just say it. Maybe we need a Nittany Lion.”
To introduce Mastriano and acknowledge his accomplishments, his wife, Rebbie, took the attention of the crowd. She walked them through his past, including his military leadership training and the master’s degrees he’s earned. She emphasized that she and her husband share love for the people and children, however, they have zero tolerance for bullies and people who oppress others.
Mastriano, a state senator from Franklin County, joined his wife on stage with the crowd getting rowdy and expressing their pride for him. Early on in his campaign speech, Mastriano quickly took a jabs at his Democratic opponent, Josh Shapiro, President Joe Biden and the media.
“You know, Josh Shapiro and his friends in the media will amplify the name-calling,” he said. “He’s got nothing to run on…don’t be distracted. There’s more of us together on our side.”
Mastriano said he would give parents the final say in public education, block vaccine and mask requirements and push for more natural gas drilling.
Mastriano claimed it is Republicans who stand up for women’s rights and welcomed his wife back on stage to further elaborate.
“We are carrying the torch for women’s rights as conservatives and as Republicans,” she said. “All these issues have stirred up the mama bears, right? We’ve been stirred up like never before. One mama bear with a cub is a pretty dangerous situation if you get between them. But just think of a pack of mama bears. That’s a grueling situation that I would never want to be near. So on November 8, we are going to show them who are really the ones that have the heart for Pennslyvania.”
Mastriano later concluded his campaign rally by telling the crowd that he has their back while encouraging everyone to go out and vote to make their voice heard.
“Pennsylvania, we are the Keystone State,” Mastriano said. “We are the seed of the nation.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Shapiro and Senate candidate John Fetterman will speak at 5:45 p.m. today, November 2, on Old Main Lawn as part of a “Rally in the Valley” event.
