ICYMI: Republicans’ Pennsylvania Senate Primary Dynamics Are Getting Messier By The Day

On the heels of reporting that Senate Republicans are “beginning to worry” as they are “again facing the risk of problematic candidates” and looming “primary wars,” new reporting from Pennsylvania shows just how messy their primary dynamics are becoming. See more below:

Politico: Doug Mastriano and his super fans aren’t yet willing to let go
A weekend rally shows the serious obstacles that traditional GOPers — and, maybe, Dave McCormick — have in their way.
By Holly Otterbein
March 14, 2023

• In this corner of the political world in Pennsylvania, it’s the establishment — not the MAGAverse — that needs course-correction.

• “The Senate reelection campaign in D.C. is like, ‘We don’t want Mastriano to run.’ Well, you don’t have a say in that there, fella,” Mastriano told the crowd at his rally over the weekend. “They can’t win any state races without the Walk as Free People movement, right? They can’t win without us. So they better be ginger.”

• The day before McCormick’s book, “Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America,” was released, the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm put out a document highlighting past attacks against McCormick from fellow Republicans.

• For McCormick, this all raises tricky questions: mainly, is there an actual path forward to winning his party’s nod, especially with Trump running for the presidency. During last year’s election, McCormick unsuccessfully sought the former president’s endorsement and hired several of his ex-aides. 

Jonathan Tamari, Philadelphia Inquirer (@JonathanTamari): PA Sen: Kathy Barnette said she “has not made a decision” about whether to run for Senate in 2024, in an interview with WPHT

Read more: Axios: Senate GOP’s 2024 landmines; The Cook Political Report: The Looming Senate GOP Primary Wars.