The Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor—down double-digits in most polls—released a video Friday threatening his opponent Gov. Tom Wolf.
Standing next to a chair with a pile of paychecks on it, as the sound of traffic could be heard in the background, Scott Wagner yelled into the camera for a Facebook Live video about his opponent.
After an unhinged rant about “negative attack ads” in the state, the former state senator said: “Well, Governor Wolf, let me tell you what, between now and Nov. 6, you better put a catcher’s mask on your face, because I’m going to stomp all over your face with golf spikes.”
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He added: “I’m going to win this for the state of Pennsylvania. And we’re throwing you out of office. Because I’m sick and tired of your negative ads. Governor Wolf, I am bound and determined, I am going to vote you out of office.”
A spokesperson for Wagner told Penn Live that the statement was “not to be taken literally,” adding: “He wanted them to be a metaphor for how he will approach the final stretch of the campaign.”
In a statement to The Daily Beast, Wolf spokeswoman Beth Melena asked: “Was Wagner channeling John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, or Rambo in his latest unhinged rant?” She attached a link to a YouTube video in which Wagner boasted of those three names being his three personalities.
“Scott Wagner’s latest rant shows he is unhinged and unfit for office," Melena added. "Threats of violence have no place in society, especially from someone running for public office. This is part of an unfortunate pattern with Scott Wagner.”
Wolf’s running mate, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, tweeted that Wagner “has lost it.” He added in a phone conversation with The Daily Beast: “Wagner’s campaign has been in a death spiral for a while now but this one sets it off.”
Wolf, who first took office in 2015, has consistently led Wagner in public polling by double digits. Wagner also recently held a fundraiser headlined by Fox News host Jeanine Pirro who was reportedly paid $24,500 to participate.
