Jarrett Renshaw and James Oliphant

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Democrats warned Pennsylvanians that Doug Mastriano could be a danger to their rights, vote integrity and abortion access if he wins the Republican primary.

Josh Shapiro, the state’s attorney general and the Democratic nominee for governor, called Mastriano the most extreme gubernatorial candidate in the country.

He supports banning abortion, without exceptions for incest, rape or harm to the mother. He has proposed restrictions on mail-in voting and eliminating ballot drop boxes, and he backs former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential contest.

Shapiro’s campaign claimed it has raised approximately $200,000 in donations since Tuesday night’s close of the Republican primary. The Democratic candidate requested more on Wednesday.

Democrats view the Pennsylvania governor’s race as one of the most critical contests in the country. The current governor, Democrat Tom Wolf, has blocked measures from the Republican-controlled state legislature that would limit abortion and voting rights.

Mastriano’s march in Washington, before the siege on January 6, 2021 of the U.S. Capitol, alarmed some Pennsylvania Republicans. They said they fear Mastriano is all but unelectable and could drag down the party’s entire state ticket with him.

“We are going to lose state house and state senate races,” said Val Biancaniello, a Republican state committee member from Philadelphia’s suburbs. “It’s very hard for someone like myself to rally behind Doug Mastriano. He is a far right extremist and will be getting his bum kicked in Novemeber.”

Trump had endorsed Mastriano just a few days before the primary. He disputed his claim to be a far-right candidate.

“I repudiate that,” he said in his victory speech on Tuesday. “That is crap.”

ABORT, VOTING REGULATIONS AT PLAY

While voters are concerned about inflation and the coronavirus epidemic, and crime, Democrats seek to capitalize on the debate over abortion rights in order to raise turnout among women voters as well as young voters (including some Republicans).

Shapiro pledged to veto all restrictions on abortion that are brought before him in his capacity as governor.

Mastriano, a state senator, has proposed a so-called “heartbeat” bill that would ban abortions after six weeks. He recently called abortion “genocide.”

A bill has been introduced by the Pennsylvania legislature that prohibits the state Supreme Courts from declaring abortion a legal right if it overturns Roe v. Wade and returns the question of legalization to the states.

“With our fundamental rights on the line, we must work harder than ever to ensure that an anti-choice extremist like Doug Mastriano never holds the governor’s office,” said Ally Boguhn, a spokesperson for NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Mastriano also has championed Trump’s stolen election claims, proposing a state audit of the 2020 results.

Mastriano is a former Army colonel and was seen in the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021 when Trump supporters entered the building. Mastriano claimed he was a peaceful participant in the pro-Trump Stop the Steal rally on that day, but he left the scene before the siege.

A number of influential Republicans, including Sam DeMarco (chairperson of the Republican Party Committee in Pittsburgh), warned that Mastriano would not be elected. He cited survey research which predicted that swing voters would move to Shapiro if Mastriano were to win the nomination.

Analysts think Shapiro is the clear favorite in this race. He has been statewide elected and has not been challenged in the Democratic primaries. Mastriano was carrying about $800,000. Shapiro had more than $18million in his war chest.

Mastriano “needs to start showing how he’s going to appeal to moderate Republicans and independent voters,” said Charlie O’Neil, a veteran of Republican campaigns in Pennsylvania. “You don’t win Pennsylvania by winning the Republican base.”