Many mainstream Republicans warned that a win in the GOP primary by state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, would gift-wrap the governorship to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Despite behind-the-scenes maneuvering and eleventh hour dropouts by two of the candidates, who threw their support to former Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, there was no stopping Mastriano, who rolled to a surprisingly easy win in the nine-candidate race with 44% of the vote. Barletta came in a distant second with fewer than half of those votes.

Mastriano’s extraordinary showing shows how out of step state Republican leaders are with voters. Many of these leaders had predicted that in a race with so many candidates, an extreme candidate such as Mastriano could not snatch the nomination and leave the Republicans vulnerable in the general election.

There seems to be a difference of opinion as to whether Mastriano’s endorsement by former President Donald Trump was a deciding factor. Most Republicans I spoke to said that it probably gave him a slight bump, but the race was already decided when Trump threw his support to Mastriano a few days before the primary. By that time, Mastriano was far ahead in the polls, and it was next to a sure thing that he would emerge victorious from the crowded field.

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., was critical of Trump’s late backing and accused him of looking at the polls before announcing an endorsement so it could appear that he still is a kingmaker.

Trump’s earlier endorsement of Senate candidate Mehmet Oz has not translated into a clear-cut victory, because Oz and Dave McCormick are locked in a fierce battle where the margin is about 0.2% with Oz leading. It appears more and more likely that this contest is destined for an automatic recount since Pennsylvania law demands this when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 0.5%. If the recount occurs, don’t look for an announcement of a winner until as late as June 8.

Rob Gleason, former chair of the state Republican Committee, told Politico that he was unhappy with Trump’s involvement in the primary, especially since the state GOP did not endorse any of the candidates.

About a dozen Republicans I spoke to, all of whom refused to be quoted by name, insist that Mastriano will be a hard sell to moderate Republicans and certainly to most Democrats and many independents.

Mastriano was not Trump’s preferred choice for the nomination, according to insiders, and although he was advised not to endorse any candidate, even by his son, Donald Jr., Trump decided that he wanted to be able to crow about another winner, which led to his backing of Mastriano.

This decision has rankled many in the Republican Party, who also believe that Trump should have kept out of the primaries. His endorsement of Oz was very unpopular, according to my Republican sources, and the last-minute Mastriano endorsement was “pathetic,” according to one Republican officeholder who admittedly was a Barletta supporter.

Some Republican leaders are furious that the state leadership did not endorse a candidate they believe would have been more palatable to a wider swath of the voters in November. Among them is former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent of Lehigh County, who said it was “an act of political malpractice” that the state Republican Committee did not “shape or condition the field months ago.”

Some are already contemplating that after the likelihood of a Josh Shapiro victory in the fall, there will be calls for the resignation of state GOP Committee Chair Lawrence Tabas.

Republicans who were adamantly opposed to Mastriano’s nomination must now decide whether to support the party’s nominee, which is not a sure thing, or whether they hold their collective noses and vote for the Franklin County state senator. His major opponent in the primary, Barletta, is among those who said he will support Mastriano.

For voters, the November faceoff offers a clear choice in agendas, styles and in the direction they want Pennsylvania to go. There will be no tweedledee and tweedledum candidates this time.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

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