A pedestrian walks past the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Monday, March 22, 2021.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Lancaster County lawmaker eyes GOP primary for Pennsylvania governor
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The Associated Press
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
A pedestrian walks past the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Monday, March 22, 2021.
(Harrisburg) — A state senator from southcentral Pennsylvania said Tuesday that he is forming an exploratory committee to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.
Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, joins a crowded field of declared candidates and prospective candidates.
Martin is a second-term senator and former county commissioner who hails from a Republican-leaning district and chairs the Education Committee. Forming an exploratory committee helps him raise money for a campaign.
Already declared is Lou Barletta, the former four-term congressman who was the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 before he lost to Democrat Bob Casey. Barletta has by far more electoral experience than any other Republican considering running, and is the only one to have run statewide.
Democrats are coalescing around Pennsylvania’s second-term Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who has said he expects to run for governor, but has yet to formally announce his candidacy.
Other Republicans who have said they are interested in running or spoken at party functions for prospective candidates include U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, marketing consultant Charlie Gerow, state Sen. Dan Laughlin, state Sen. Doug Mastriano and Bill McSwain, a former chief federal prosecutor in Philadelphia.
Several others are declared candidates: Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale, Pittsburgh lawyer Jason Richey and Dr. Nche Zama, a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Pa. Republican lawmakers and the U.S. Capitol attack
As part of WITF’s commitment to standing with facts, and because the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was an attempt to overthrow representative democracy in America, we are marking elected officials’ connections to the insurrection. Read more about this commitment.
Sen. Martin is one of several dozen state lawmakers who signed a letter asking Congress to delay certifying Pennsylvania’s 2020 election result, despite no evidence that would call that result into question.
This supported the election-fraud lie, which led to the attack on the Capitol.
As part of WITF’s commitment to standing with facts, and because the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was an attempt to overthrow representative democracy in America, we are marking elected officials’ connections to the insurrection. Read more about this commitment.
Sen. Martin is one of several dozen state lawmakers who signed a letter asking Congress to delay certifying Pennsylvania’s 2020 election result, despite no evidence that would call that result into question.
This supported the election-fraud lie, which led to the attack on the Capitol.
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
