Mastriano Says He’d Model Desantis-Style Governorship for Pennsylvania

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Pittsburgh, Pa. Friday for a rally in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

Before the rally, Mastriano spoke with The Epoch Times about the powers governors have and do not have.

“My goal is to model my leadership as governor of the state in the fashion of Ron DeSantis, where it’s for the protection and the betterment of people, and actually upholding their constitutional rights, instead of treading upon them,” Mastriano told The Epoch Times.

Things in Pennsylvania would have been dramatically different if he had been governor during the pandemic, Mastriano said, adding that it is easy to say that in hindsight, but the bills he proposed and actions he took as a state Senator proves it.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Mastriano took to Facebook live most evenings, chatting with thousands of Pennsylvanians—hearing their concerns in real-time. He called mandatory masking and unequal application of business closures unconstitutional, and he reminded people that to be free of restrictions, they must take it upon themselves to “walk as free people,” which is now a key phase in his campaign.

When a barber and a few restaurants decided to defy the governor’s pandemic orders to close, Mastriano and a few other state lawmakers visited them and offered support.

Unable to maintain business during the shutdown, some businesses remained closed after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

“We would have notified people of the threats, as delineated by the CDC and Department of Health, and then leave it up to the people themselves to decide whether to keep the mask on. We’d leave it up to the people themselves, whether to take the jab or not. We’d leave it up to the businesses, whether they wanted to remain open, and what that would look like, being open or

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