PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In the final days of the 2022 gubernatorial race, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano once again visited Philadelphia to drum up support ahead of Election Day.
He was greeted by cheers, applause and campaign signs Sunday night at Galdo's catering hall in South Philadelphia. Off the bat, he talked about his connections to the region as well as his Italian heritage.
"We're going to make spaghetti great again in Pennsylvania," he joked.
He kept the crowd laughing and cheering throughout his speech, often returning to the issues plaguing the city.
"Philadelphia — my heart is broken for this city," he said. "This city promised for hope, for opportunity, for religious freedom, for all freedom, and it's all being ripped away because of bad things happening on the streets."
Mastriano referred to the city's Kensington neighborhood as the "Wild West."
"[Kensington] is more dangerous than my three tours in Afghanistan. That's not hyperbolic," he said. "Do you feel safe going to parts of town? No? Neither do I."
Mastriano promised if he's elected governor, Pennsylvania will become a "law-and-order state," a similar message he made at a September appearance in Hunting Park.
Throughout the evening, Mastriano also referred to his opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, as an "extremist" who would make violence in Philadelphia worse.
Shapiro, who has the backing of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police and the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, differs in philosophy with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on stances including prosecuting illegal gun charges.
Mastriano didn't go into much detail about arguably the most controversial issue on the ballot: abortion. Instead, his wife gave a short speech. He called her a "champion of women's rights."
To end the rally, he took pieces from Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address."
"Lincoln, rather, is for the living to be dedicated to the unfinished work. Philadelphia, let's finish this work," he said. "Let's take back the stream, restore freedom and have a new-born freedom in Pennsylvania."
On Saturday, thousands of supporters attended a Democratic rally at Temple University. President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama were there to back Shapiro and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman.
Mastriano went on to Northeast Philly Sunday night, with two other planned stops Monday in the state.
