Former Congressman Lou Barletta is receiving support from another Republican gubernatorial candidate on Friday. It’s the second day in a row Barletta has received an endorsement from a competing campaign, following Senator Jake Corman’s endorsement on Thursday.
“We cannot afford to lose this election to Josh Shapiro. It’s that important,” Barletta explained Friday. “But we also need a candidate that can unify our party. We can’t come out of this primary splintered, fractured, giving Josh Shapiro an advantage.”
This time, Melissa Hart is suspending her campaign. She says she believes the stakes are too high and the Republican primary is too divided, which is why she says now is the time to vote for Barletta.
“We need someone to come out of that Republican primary who is a proven leader, who is united,” Hart responded to CBS 21’s Samantha York about the timing of her decision. “Who is someone who can get Democrat votes, because Pennsylvania is still a majority Democrat state, and lead as a person who has vision and values that the people of Pennsylvania support, not necessarily one party over the other.”
However, with election day four days away, nine names will remain on the Republican side of the ballot. Hart and Corman included. Barletta says it’s important for voters to know where their candidate is putting their vote.
This move could make the race a close one, with Senator Doug Mastriano still in the lead for Republican votes, according to recent polls.
Barletta says the endorsements aren’t disrespectful to his opponent, Mastriano. He believes he makes his case with his history of beating Democrats, giving him a chance against Josh Shapiro in November.