Doug Mastriano Makes ‘Conspiracy Theory Tourism’ Visit to Arizona to Fuel Trump’s ‘Big Lie’

As he gears up for his likely run for governor, far-right Pennsylvania Republican Senator Doug Mastriano is going to extremes to prove his undying loyalty to Donald Trump. Mastriano, along with two other Pennsylvania Republican legislators, made a “conspiracy theory tourism” trip to Arizona to show his support for the unreliable, conspiracy theory-driven, partisan audit of the election — “ground zero” of the ‘Big Lie’ that the 2020 election was stolen. 

Mastriano heralded the sham audit process, saying “I’m impressed. This is a model for any audit in any nation or the world.” Mastriano also explicitly expressed his desire to conduct a similar audit in Pennsylvania to overturn the will of Pennsylvania voters, saying, “If we do an audit in Pennsylvania — We need to do an audit and this is the model.”

As Trump’s obsession with the ‘Big Lie’ grows, Mastriano is acting as one of his primary henchmen, feeding his baseless accusations of mass voter fraud and fueling his conspiracy theories. From blowing past police barriers at the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol to co-hosting campaign events with the former president’s corrupt former attorney Rudy Giuliani, Mastriano is doing whatever it takes to prove his loyalty to Donald Trump — something that’s par for the course with the Republican leaders in the Commonwealth. 

Other likely candidates in the Pennsylvania GOP primary for governor are locked in a shouting match over who is willing to go the furthest to embrace Trump’s dangerous agenda. That includes Lou Barletta, who was one of the first members of Congress to support Trump in 2016, and Joe Gale, who already launched ads trying to out-Trump fellow Republicans and said he entered the race to “continue advancing the Trump movement.”

“Mastriano’s conspiracy theory tourist visit to Arizona marks a new low in the likely gubernatorial field’s Trump loyalty contest,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton. “It’s clear that Pennsylvania Republicans are willing to go to whatever means they deem necessary to demonstrate their allegiance to Donald Trump. In embracing his lies and racing to the right, the PA GOP is alienating itself from Pennsylvanians and turning its back on the real challenges workers and families face.”