David McCormick, Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for Senate, praised a self-described Christian nationalist who has trafficked in antisemitic tropes and attended the Jan. 6 Capitol riot , as a role model for demonstrating “moral courage,” according to audio obtained by the Forward .
“We need leaders who have moral courage, who are going to stand up to support Israel abroad and support the fight against antisemitism at home,” McCormick said during a Thursday Zoom event with Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Christian nationalist who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022. “And this is about strength and courage, which, you know, is one of the things I admire about Senator Mastriano. He’s got strength and moral courage. And that’s the kind of senator I’ll be as well — someone who fights for what he believes is right.”
Mastriano, a Republican, was criticized for his divisive rhetoric and association with antisemites and conspiracy theorists during his 2022 campaign against now-Gov. Josh Shapiro , who he attacked for sending his kids to a “privileged, exclusive, elite” Jewish day school…