Pennsylvania’s GOP nominee for governor Doug Mastriano is in hot water over his ties to the social network Gab, a haven for the far right. Mastriano, a vehement Trump supporter who organized buses to the Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally that descended into chaos, paid the social media site $5,000 for “campaign consulting” in April. After facing backlash, the site’s founder came to his defense—with anti-Semitic remarks. “This is a Christian nation. Christians outnumber you by a lot—a lot,” Andrew Torba said in a video. “We’re not going to listen to 2 percent. You represent 2 percent of the country, okay? We’re not bending the knee to the 2 percent anymore.” In another livestream tirade, Torba said that he and Mastriano would never grant interviews with media that isn’t explicitly Christian. “This is the most important election of the 2022 midterms because Doug is an outspoken Christian,” he said. “We are going to build a coalition of Christian nationalists, of Christians, of Christian candidates, at the state, local and federal levels and we’re going to take this country back for the glory of God.” So far, Mastriano’s campaign has issued no response.
