Same problem in PA as there is every election cycle somewhere in America, a conservative/populist outsider enters the race, picks up some support, and the party insiders tell the rubes that it is they who have to compromise because that candidate is unelectable. Again and again, forever and ever.
If one wins a primary, as Wagner and Barletta did in 2018, (both were running in winnable elections) the state party acts as if they never heard of them, sits on its hands and pretends there is nothing that can be done. They don't want to work for their bloated salaries, they don't want to actually win elections, and they certainly don't want to put in the hours to convince the urban and suburban potential republican voters to actually vote for a conservative for once.
That is all known, and its true even if Barletta and Oz are the candidates. The positive thing about Mastriano is that he can attract a crowd for grassroots events and possibly make an end run around that incompetence. It will be an uphill battle, but it doesn't need to be, and it shouldn't be.
I think you are right about this. It has to change, and I think it is changing, but so slo-o-o-o-owly. I think what is helping conservative/populists is that the Dems are getting so extreme (e.g. Fetterman) that even the GOPe is becoming unenthused about them.
I am still voting Barletta
You nailed it. The powers that ne in A. and elsewhere, are the same ones that gave us Arlen Spector...and we know how that worked out. My votes are for Barnette and Mastriano. Time will tell in November.