Sen. Doug Mastriano pegged by Trump to be U.S. ambassador to Slovakia – Erie Times-News
Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano has been pegged by President Donald Trump to be the ambassador to the Slovak Republic, or Slovakia, the country bordering Ukraine.
Mastriano has represented Franklin and Adams counties in the Pennsylvania Senate since winning a special election in 2019. He lost his bid for governor in 2022 to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
An official in Mastriano’s district office said, for now, that he would not be doing interviews about the potential new ambassador position. The U.S. Senate would have to confirm Trump’s nomination.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by President Trump’s nomination to serve as United States Ambassador to the Slovak Republic,” Mastriano wrote on his Facebook page. “Upon Senate confirmation, I look forward to representing our nation abroad, strengthening the friendship between our two countries, and advancing the interests of the American people.
“In the meantime, I remain fully committed to serving the people of Pennsylvania’s 33rd Senatorial District and will continue fulfilling my responsibilities while the (U.S.) Senate considers my nomination.”
Many supporters in the comments thread expressed congratulations paired with wishes that he were Pennsylvania’s governor.
Mastriano, a retired U.S. Army colonel, was a key Trump ally after the 2020 election, supporting Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen by winner Joe Biden.
In the days following his 14-point gubernatorial loss to Shapiro, Mastriano did not concede the race.
Trump nominated another election-denying Republican ally who lost a 2022 bid for governor, Kari Lake from Arizona, as ambassador to Jamaica.
Mastriano, a far-right firebrand, routinely aligns his politics with Christian nationalism, proclaiming that God told him to run for governor and that he could save the state from a descent into evil.
The combat veteran has worked as a faculty instructor with the Department of Military Strategy at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle. He wore a Confederate Army uniform in a faculty photo, which the school removed from campus after the news service Reuters asked about it.
He is the prime sponsor of 60 Senate bills and 24 resolutions in this legislative session. He is a co-sponsor of 173 bills and 54 resolutions.
On May 11, Mastriano proposed the “Pennsylvania Families First” AI Infrastructure Protection Act. It aims “to protect Pennsylvania consumers, communities, energy infrastructure, and water resources from the rapidly expanding demands associated with hyperscale artificial intelligence and data center development.”
He has proposed legislation that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments alongside the Declaration of Independence, Pennsylvania Constitution and U.S. Constitution to “focus on the values that are very important for our nation and Pennsylvania.”
He has also unveiled proposals supporting veterans, tax relief for elderly homeowners and English-only driver licensing exams in Pennsylvania.
Mastriano is chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee and vice chair of the chamber’s Education Committee. He also sits on five other committees: Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Intergovernmental Operations, Judiciary, Local Government and State Government.
Mark Walters is the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania statehouse reporter. Reach him atmwalters@usatodayco.com.