Doug Mastriano under fire for relationship with antisemitic website and its founder
CNN
Doug Mastriano, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, is facing bipartisan criticism for his ties to Gab, a far-right social media platform, and its founder Andrew Torba, over the rife antisemitic commentary that exists on the site.
The criticism is the latest in what has become a complicated campaign for Republicans after Mastriano, one of the most vocal purveyors of the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump, won the commonwealth's primary in May. At the time, many Republicans worried that Mastriano was too extreme a candidate to win over the suburban swing voters needed to win statewide, and his ties to Gab and Torba have attracted new intraparty criticism. Mastriano will face Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, in November.
"Jewish voters expect candidates to condemn antisemitism whether it comes from the far left or the far right -- and to shun those who espouse it," said Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. "We strongly urge Doug Mastriano to end his association with Gab, a social network rightly seen by Jewish Americans as a cesspool of bigotry and antisemitism."