To the Editor:
As Pennsylvania approaches the May 19 primary, many Republican voters are increasingly frustrated with the early endorsement from the PA GOP and how the process is being handled.
Primaries exist so voters can choose their nominee. They are meant to allow competition and debate before the party unifies for the general election. When party leadership endorses a candidate early, it signals that the decision has already been made, discourages challengers from entering the race, and limits voters’ ability to evaluate their options.
This frustration is not new. In the last gubernatorial primary, Republican voters clearly chose Doug Mastriano as their nominee, yet many felt party leadership failed to fully support the candidate voters selected. When voters participate in good faith and their choice is not backed, trust erodes.
Because of this pattern, a grassroots write-in campaign has emerged during this primary as a way for voters to send a message to the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Many Republicans plan to write in Doug Mastriano for the gubernatorial primary — not as an act of division, but as a statement that voter choice should come before party pressure.
Primary votes remain within the party and do not help the opposing party. Wanting a real primary or supporting a write-in is participation, not sabotage.
Unity should come after voters decide — not before.
Let candidates run. Let voters choose. Then the party can unify.
Ernie Springer
Willow Street, Pa.