Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s campaign announced on Wednesday that it’s planning 40 days of fasting and prayer ahead of Election Day in November.
“We have a natural aversion to the idea of fasting, since it involves saying ‘no’ to something fleshly we enjoy, such as food. However, we hope you consider something in this plan that will focus you more on praying for the Mastrianos, our state, and the nation,” the Facebook post read.
In a section on who can participate in the fasting, the post billed it as a way to “restore true liberty, as an integral part of the strategy to win the general election in November.”
The fasting is set to start on Thursday and run until Election Day. It’s not immediately clear what prompted the campaign to start the 40-day stretch of prayer and fasting, but it comes as Mastriano’s campaign lags behind Democratic contender Josh Shapiro in fundraising and polling.
According to the latest campaign finance filings submitted Tuesday, Shapiro outraised Mastriano 8 to 1, and recent polling shows Shapiro leading Mastriano.
While the Republican candidate enjoys the support of former President Trump, who came to the state earlier this month to rally for him and Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz, he has mired in negative headlines, including a photo that resurfaced showing him wearing Confederate soldier attire, and over his positions on the 2020 election and abortion.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania as “lean Democrat.”
