This story was updated at 4:54 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, an increasingly popular figure in the Republican Party who is seen by insiders as a model 2024 presidential candidate, will visit Pittsburgh next week to boost state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s gubernatorial run.
The rally with Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Mastriano will be held in Pittsburgh on Aug. 19 and is meant to “ignite the flame of unity within our party,” Allegheny County GOP chair Sam DeMarco wrote in an email to supporters.
Organizers had originally said the event would be held at David L. Lawrence Convention Center, but there appeared to be a scheduling conflict. The nation’s largest progressive political convention — Netroots Nation — has the Convention Center booked next week through the weekend. Now, the DeSantis event’s location is listed as “to be announced” on its webpage for ticket sales.
Mr. Mastriano is facing Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s sitting attorney general, in this November’s election.
Mr. DeSantis is making the trip as part of a swing to help Donald Trump-backed candidates in key electoral areas. He will also hold events in support of Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance, Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters and Arizona gubernatorial contender Kari Lake, according to Fox News.
Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point Action, the conservative group that is hosting the DeSantis swing, told Fox that Mr. DeSantis is “America’s governor and one of the most popular leaders in America,” while Mr. Mastriano — in Pennsylvania — has “become a true champion of the grassroots.”
Mr. Shapiro, in a tweet Monday evening, acknowledged Mr. DeSantis’ visit and said, “Pennsylvania, all eyes are on us.”
“Let's defeat their extremism, win this election, and refocus on getting things done for our Commonwealth,” Mr. Shapiro wrote.
National and local GOP officials are paying close attention to Mr. DeSantis’ schedule as speculation grows over a possible presidential run. Pennsylvania is likely to play a key role in the 2024 election; Republican Donald Trump won the state in 2016, then Democrat Joe Biden won it back four years later.
Mr. DeSantis, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor who has served as Florida’s governor since 2019, spoke at the Republican Committee of Allegheny County’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner last year, Mr. DeMarco noted in his email
Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, said the visit by Mr. DeSantis is “a positive signal for Mastriano in terms of his efforts to consolidate Republican support.”
“DeSantis is a rising star in GOP ranks, and having him jump in on this race is a nice boost for Mastriano as he tries to get some momentum building in this race,” Mr. Borick said.
In the hours since the FBI searched Mr. Trump’s Palm Beach County resort, Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Mastriano have struck similar tones.
Mr. DeSantis, who may end up running against the former president in the 2024 GOP primary, tweeted that the raid on Mar-a-Lago is “another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the regime’s political opponents.”
Mr. Mastriano, in an appearance on right-wing TV network NewsMax on Tuesday morning, alleged that the justice system is being “used as a hammer to battle political opponents.”
“I’m sick and tired of it, and it needs to end,” Mr. Mastriano said.
The FBI’s raid was part of an investigation into whether Mr. Trump took classified White House records to his Florida residence, according to The Associated Press, citing people familiar with the matter.
The race for Pennsylvania governor will determine who succeeds outgoing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is term-limited. If Mr. Mastriano wins, he’d likely be the final piece of a government trifecta for Republicans here, assuming that the party holds its majorities in the state House and Senate.
A Fox News poll released late last month had Mr. Shapiro leading Mr. Mastriano 50% to 40%. The poll surveyed more than 900 registered voters.
Confusion over the location of Mr. DeSantis’ rally — on this particular swing — isn’t limited to Pittsburgh. The owner of an events center in Ohio, where Mr. DeSantis was originally scheduled to rally with Mr. Vance, told Youngstown’s WKBN that they were all booked up that day. The event page was then removed, the outlet reported.
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com
First Published: August 9, 2022, 1:00 p.m.
Updated: August 10, 2022, 10:06 a.m.