No concession from Doug Mastriano in Pa. governor’s race as Josh Shapiro thanks voters for victory

• Rachel McDevitt
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  Rachel McDevitt reports on energy, the environment, and climate change for StateImpact Pennsylvania at WITF.
  
  Rachel covers Pennsylvania state government’s policy on climate change, its effects on people, and lawmakers’ approach to the industries that generate many of Pennsylvania’s greenhouse gas emissions. Her work through the collaborative Climate Solutions puts special focus on communities and individuals working to address the effects of climate disruption.
  
  Her stories have aired nationally on the NPR shows Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Science Friday.
  
  Rachel joined WITF in 2014 as a Radio Pennsylvania reporter before becoming the local host of All Things Considered in 2017. The western Pennsylvania native started her journalism career with the CBS affiliate in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Rachel holds a degree in Communications and Spanish from Temple University.

 Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, his wife Rebecca Mastriano, and running mate Carrie Lewis DelRosso pray on stage with supporters during his election night campaign gathering at the Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, Pa., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Democrat Josh Shapiro won the race for governor of Pennsylvania.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro is thanking voters for giving him a win in Pennsylvania’s governor’s race.

But the Republican nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) had not conceded as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Shapiro is already claiming victory by the widest margin in a Pennsylvania gubernatorial race for a non-incumbent in nearly 80 years. The Associated Press has called the race for Shapiro.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Shapiro had more than 55 percent of the vote to Mastriano’s 42 percent, with 94 percent of ballots counted.

Mastriano did not concede at his election night party, telling supporters just before midnight Tuesday that they would wait until all the votes are counted, and that he looked forward to celebrating with them soon. At the time, Shapiro had already declared victory and was leading Mastriano 54.7 percent to 43.5 percent, with 79 percent of the vote counted.

Mastriano’s campaign was quiet Wednesday.

The retired Army colonel posted a few times on Twitter and Facebook. One post criticized Democrats while another showed Mastriano riding a horse with the caption “saddle up.”

Six polls conducted in the run-up to Election day showed Mastriano trailing by double digits.

The race was closely watched by election experts because Pennsylvania’s governor appoints the Secretary of State, who oversees elections. That means Mastriano’s choice would play a key role in how the election is run in 2024, when former president Donald Trump is expected to run.

Mastriano supported Trump’s 2020 election fraud lies and played a big role in spreading misinformation in Pennsylvania.

Results are not official until certified by the Department of State later this month.