7 more Republican leaders endorse Democrat Josh Shapiro for Pennsylvania governor, following news of GOP candidate Doug Mastriano wearing a Confederate military uniform

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat running for governor, has sought to portray his opponent Doug Mastriano as out of step with the mainstream.

Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

• Seven more Republican leaders have announced their endorsement for Democrat Josh Shapiro.
• This comes one month after nine Republicans called his GOP opponent Doug Mastriano an "extremist."
• A photo obtained by Reuters showed Mastriano posing in a Confederate military uniform.

Seven more Republican leaders have announced their endorsement for Pennsylvania's Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro, following photos of GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano wearing a Confederate military uniform.

This comes one month after nine Republicans vowed to support the Democratic candidate and called Mastriano an "extremist" who threatens American democracy.

According to a statement released by the Shapiro campaign on Tuesday, the group includes Michael Chertoff, the former US Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, and Mario Civera, a former state
representative.

Shapiro, the state's attorney general said he was proud to receive the endorsement from these GOP leaders "who are putting our Commonwealth ahead of partisan politics in order to come together and move Pennsylvania forward."

In the press release, Chertoff, the former US Secretary of Homeland Security said while he's a long-standing Republican, he is "deeply troubled by Doug Mastriano's embrace of dangerous extremism." 

"Josh Shapiro, on the other hand, is a staunch defender of our democratic institutions and will lead Pennsylvania with honor and integrity. I am proud to support his campaign for Governor," Chertoff said. 

Other Republicans backing Shapiro include former Pennsylvania House Speaker Denny O'Brien of Philadelphia, former PA state Rep. Dave Steil of Bucks County, and current Lawrence County Commissioner Morgan Boyd.

A photo obtained last week by Reuters, showed Mastriano posing in a Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the Army War College three years before retiring from the US Army in 2017.

Retired Army colonel Doug Mastriano, a Republican state senator from Pennsylvania who is running for governor, poses at left in a Confederate uniform in a 2013-14 faculty photo at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S. April 9, 2014. The photo was released by the Army War College to Reuters on August 26, 2022 under the Freedom of Information Act. Mastriano retired from the Army in 2017.

Army War College/Handout via REUTERS

The Donald Trump-backed candidate was first elected in 2018 and has become popular among right-wing activists for mocking herd immunity and falsely suggesting the COVID-19 vaccines are not true vaccines.

Mastriano's campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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