By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he is backing Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano in the race for the state’s governor in 2022.

The approval comes three days before the Republican primary election. Mastriano, a staunch Trump ally who has been a vocal supporter of his baseless stolen election claims, was already ahead in the polls against several other Republican challengers.

“There is no one in Pennsylvania who has done more or fought harder for electoral integrity,” Trump said in a statement. “He’s a fighter like few others, and he’s been with me from the start, and now I have an obligation to be with him.”

Mastriano was a leading advocate for an investigation into the 2020 election results, where Pennsylvania’s support for President Joe Biden ultimately sealed his victory. In August, Mastriano was removed from the state’s 2020 election audit because the state’s top Republican senator said he was focused on “politics and showmanship” rather than a real investigation.

Pennsylvania is a key swing state where Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will not seek re-election due to term limits. Josh Shapiro, the state’s attorney general, is currently the presumptive Democratic nominee.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Daniel Wallis)