Please say it isn’t so, comes the reaction from many mainstream Republicans who dread the idea of state Sen. Doug Mastriano trying to dislodge Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who almost certainly will run for a second term in 2026 unless something unforeseen happens. Despite this, Mastriano is sending signals that he might run again in 2026.

As the Republican nominee, Mastriano did poorly against Shapiro in 2022, and many Republicans blame him for dragging down other Republicans on the ballot, including the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who lost to Democrat John Fetterman. (Remember Oz? It’s as if after the election he has fallen from the face of the Earth.)

Mastriano, whose district includes Franklin County, has been extremely active on social media, conservative podcasts and radio shows hosted by conservative commentators. At the same time, Mastriano avoids the mainstream media just as he mostly did during his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.

Along with his wife, Rebbie, he also holds periodic rallies throughout the state. He was in Quakertown, Bucks County, last month and delivered a 25-minute talk that was attended by about 75 people.

Mastriano’s message was mostly the same as it was last year - a litany of complaints and grievances about how pandemic precautions were handled, the “indoctrination” of students in our public schools, how the 2020 Presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump (even though it wasn’t) and a constant drumbeat of annoyance at the lack of support from Republicans in his gubernatorial bid.

Earlier this year, Mastriano had sent hints that he might seek the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Casey, a Scranton Democrat, who is expected to seek re-election next year to an unprecedented fourth six-year term.

Republicans know that defeating Casey will require an incredibly focused campaign by a proven vote-getter. Trying to thread this needle will be difficult under the best of circumstances, but Republicans believe it can be done with the right candidate and a couple of favorable bounces of the ball in their direction.

They breathed a sigh of relief when Mastriano announced at the end of May that he will not seek the nomination for Senate. If Mastriano has decided on a future course, he isn’t tipping his hand. It is likely he will seek re-election to his state Senate seat next year. My mainstream Republican sources hope that Mastriano would have sunk into obscurity by this time, but most concede that this is unlikely.

They want to move forward from the 2020 and 2022 elections which fared poorly for them in Pennsylvania with losses of the presidency, then the U.S. Senate seat which formerly had been held by Republican Pat Toomey of Lehigh County, who did not seek re-election.

On the other hand, Mastriano is still advocating that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen, a position held by many Trump loyalists. Mastriano is an ardent Trump supporter, but in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, Trump didn’t throw his support to Mastriano until late in the campaign, and, some critics contend, only after it was apparent from the polls that Mastriano was going to easily come out on top of a large GOP field.

Several Mastriano loyalists indicated that he is laying the groundwork for another shot at the governor’s position. While Mastriano, just as Trump, has a loyal base of support, many Republican strategists say that while he may do well again in the Republican primary his ability to come out on top in the General Election in 2026 is much more of an uphill struggle, just as he faced in 2022.

We must remember that the angry messages that both Mastriano and Trump send resonate with those who are frustrated and feel left behind in their quest for their piece of the American dream. They blame government and unsympathetic and indifferent politicians for much of their woes.

“The only person in Pennsylvania who wants Doug Mastriano to run for governor in 2026 is Josh Shapiro,” Chris Pack, a Republican national strategist, jokingly told The Philadelphia Inquirer last month.

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI| tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.