Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano, who lost the 2022 governor’s race in a landslide, announced via Facebook livestream with his wife that he would not be running again in 2026. The reason, he explained, was divine: “God has not called us to run for governor this year.” The couple say they prayed extensively before arriving at that conclusion, which took considerably longer to announce than to reach, given that Mastriano spent much of the livestream reminiscing about 2022 and revisiting his COVID-19 grievances before actually confirming he was out.
Mastriano also declined to endorse Stacy Garrity, the Republican candidate who is running, saying only “we’ll talk about that down the road” — a curious position for a man who just told his followers he’s in direct communication with God about who should and shouldn’t hold statewide office.
He’ll remain in the state senate, where his current term runs through 2028 and he’s not up for reelection this cycle, which conveniently means no one had to hear from God about that particular decision.
Don’t take our word for it: PhillyVoice has the full story. It’s exactly as described.