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Melissa Hart suspends her campaign and endorses Lou Barletta for governor of Pennsylvania
Former state senator and Member of Congress Melissa Hart today announced that she is withdrawing for the race for governor of Pennsylvania and endorsing Lou Barletta as the Republican candidate. Like fellow former candidate Sen. Jake Corman, Hart is calling on all Republicans to gather behind Barletta as the Republican candidate best situated to win the primary and beat Democrat Josh Shapiro in November. Hart made the announcement in a press conference with Barletta in Harrisburg on Friday morning. The Republican gubernatorial primary is Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
Hart said that it’s vital that Pennsylvania Republicans field a candidate who can win statewide in the general election in November.
“The stakes are too high, our Republican primary is too fractured, and we need someone to come out of the Republican primary who is a proven leader, who is a uniter, who is someone who can get Democrat votes, and who can lead as a person who has a vision and the values that the people of Pennsylvania support,” Hart said. “I am suspending my campaign and I’m supporting Lou Barletta. We all win when we support a candidate who shares our values and shares our vision and who can win. And that candidate is Lou Barletta.”
Barletta thanked Hart for her dedication to Pennsylvania and for her support.
“I’ve come to respect my Republican opponents, because they got in the arena and fought for that they believed is important to Pennsylvania. And there’s no one for whom that’s more true than Melissa Hart,” Barletta said. “She has already served the people, in the State Senate and in Congress, and I know that her public work is probably not finished. And I want to thank her very much for her support and for arriving at a decision that I know was difficult.”
“We’ve all seen the terrible direction Pennsylvania has taken over the last seven-and-a-half years, and we know that Josh Shapiro would make things even worse,” Barletta continued. “I have a history of beating Democrats, having been elected mayor in a heavily Democratic city and defeated a 26-year incumbent Democrat for Congress. There is no question that as the Republican nominee, I can also beat Josh Shapiro, because the people of Pennsylvania know me. I am proven, road-tested, and ready to lead.”
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman also withdrew from the race and endorsed Barletta, citing the need for Republicans to coalesce around a candidate who can beat Shapiro.
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