Hempfield, Pennsylvania – John Ventre, a one-time Pa. governor candidate and most recently a past contender for county commissioner in Westmoreland County, shared his GOP-political experience with Harrisburg100.
Ventre started with an unnamed state GOP insider’s recap of the emergency zoom recently called by PA GOP Chairman Lawrence Tabas for all county GOP chairs, in light of the “purge” of committee people across the state; he said it amounted to a weak finger wag. Tabas told the chairs to “stop bickering” (sure, OK mom!)- and advised them to offer suspended CPs ways to “prove they are worthy” of return.
Ventre reacted to the canceled CPs and cast doubt on the vote itself (to take disciplinary action). He believes there’s abuse of the “proxy” process that committee chairs use to influence the outcome of votes at county committee meetings (including endorsement meetings). (Proxies are voter stand-ins: the CP doesn’t attend, but in theory can arrange someone from their precinct to vote for him/her. Some say it has vulnerabilities and can be manipulated.)
“The Chairs use the proxy vote method to do whatever they want. It is more disingenuous than Dem voter harvesting,” said Ventre.
Ventre who identifies as an America-First Patriot said five Committee People (CPs) in his county were removed for helping him in his run for county commissioner, eerily familiar to the 8-9 CPs effectively removed last Saturday in Cumberland County.
Ventre believes Tabas and most of the county chairs think “patriots” like him should be run off committee. Ventre named Tabas and Matthew Brouillette (founder/president of Commonwealth Partners, believed to be the largest political action group in Pa.’s Republican politics) as the two figures who have formulated a “plan” to do just that. But Ventre didn’t expand on what that “plan” was.
“The committees are trying to eliminate Trump MAGA candidates across the state because they don’y believe they can win after (Doug) Mastriano got slaughtered,” said Ventre, referring to last year’s governor race.
If money is factored into the plan, Brouillette is certainly a player. Brouillette reportedly spent upwards of $30 Million against Mastriano, to defeat him in the May 2022 gubernatorial primary in PA. When Mastriano won the primary, Brouillette turned his back on the GOP nominee, paving the way for Democrat Josh Shapiro’s win in November, according to Mastriano’s previous running mate, Teddy Daniels.
Westmoreland County:
In recapping his ouster, Ventre said the Westmoreland County Republican Committee (WCRC) Chairman Bill Bretz conveniently called an emergency meeting to endorse right after Ventre announced his candidacy. WCRC swiftly endorsed the incumbents – not Ventre – even though they hadn’t publicly announced they were running. Bretz then sued Ventre and another GOP primary candidate Paul Kosko three times all the way to the PA Supreme Court over technicalities in their candidacy filings, but lost each time. “They then deceived the public at the polls with their (WCRC) slate cards saying that those were the only Republican candidates,” Ventre stated, believing it attributed to his third-place, failed vote capture.
Ventre is not these letting dirty politics go in Westmoreland. In April, he has alerted the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office of some unscrupulous financial reporting by the campaign of Doug Chew, an incumbent WC county commissioner who’s up for his 2nd term this November, after receiving establishment backing. Ventre’s assertions are that Chew never reported a $2,000 campaign check that his campaign, “Chew 4 You,” received from Ventre himself in Sept 2019; and secondly, that his final three mailers of Oct/Nov 2019 were paid for by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania (using its discounted Non-Profit postage rate), but that this $30,000 in-kind contribution was also not reported.
Ventre added that Chew used Unity Printing, based in Latrobe, with a non-profit postage rate, but noted that rate was not honored for Ventre.
“The voters deserve to know who paid for Doug Chew’s mailers,” wrote Ventre. Ventre continued with another claim in his letter to the DA that a large cost of Chews campaign was paid for by an unnamed elected official.
“I respectfully ask that these issues are audited, and a full disclosure is made to myself and the public on each item,” wrote Ventre.
Harrisburg100 
Matthew Brouliette, another grifter that has never had a real job as he waddled through academia and public policy positions.
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The solution to this is simple. Just stop sending them money. It’s the only language they understand.
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Time to have a change in the Pa. GOP. The Pa GOP are the ones that brought us – the Pa voters – mail in ballots in Pa. helping Dems to vote harvest and not have clear change of custody ballots in Pa. Have you been to the West Chester GOP headquarters lately – they are as active and supportive of the GOP candidates as a person that can not fog a mirror — Time for a change Time for Tabas to go —
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Just look at the DAMAGE Trump did to the GOP in PA in 2022. What a disaster. He picked loser candidates, where he had NO BUSINESS sticking his nose into a primary battle. Isn’t losing the legislature enough? Isn’t losing to a BRAIN DEAD lunatic on the left like Fetterman enough? Time to turn the page and back other candidates who can WIN in 2024. No more defeats.
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The damage was done by the Dems theft of the election aided and abetted by the RINOs. That’s the truth and you know it. When did the legislature OK the use of mail in ballots? Who illegally approved that underhanded move? Which Dem run counties stuffed those mail in boxes with those illegal ballots that stole the election? 2024 it all comes to an end when Trump enters the White House with a turbo charged agenda to set things right.
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Dominion voting systems decided who was selected
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Snobs and RINO elites like you are why candidates lose. You Uniparty cucks are simply whores for money and grift. You have no values or backbone. Go join the Democrat party if you want superdelegate elites in charge of every primary. The patriots and America First base will not back down or go away.
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The only reason the Republican Party is losing elections is because they stand for nothing. No backbone. Blame it all on Trump. Once again–back stabbers
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@ Alan – – – At the end of the day it’s about the people of PA not taking the bull by the ballz and doing what they should – – – blame MAGA if you want but the onus falls on the voters – mind you, I more than know that most of the ‘general population’ is skull-plugged into this present malaise and you can’t take ANY election seriously since the 90s – but it needed to be said… perspective
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RINOs and cowards run Pennsylvania’s GOP. All money grubbing prostitutes. These RINOs are furious that ordinary citizens want transparency and honesty. Don’t give a dime to the GOP. Support MAGA candidates with zero middlemen. Toss these corrupt clowns from the GOP.
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Ventre is a MUFON leader who has made such racist statements that people have left the organization.
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pa did such a great job electing a senator, who is unconscious. get a way from maga values and you willl lose every race.
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These LIBERAL LEFTIST SOCIALIST MARXIST COMMUNIST DEMOCRAT FACIST AUTHORITARIAN and TINO UNIPARTY members must remove there competitors or risk the American people from voting for people who want to dismantle the SWAMP RATS destroying our country China and Russia couldn’t do this much damage these SWAMP RATS hat everything about our country as founded
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[…] PA IS PUSHING TO REMOVE ‘AMERICA FIRST’ AND MAGA CANDIDATES FROM BALLOTS […]
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From the other comments and one link I followed, this article is pure fake news. If even part of it is fake, it draws into question the whole new organizations truthfulness.
Is she a lawyer? I didn’t check. However, because she was on one all female team doesn’t mean she wasn’t on another all make team.
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Mastriano lost because of his stance on abortion. Pennsylvanians understand what DemonRats have done to hurt the country. They also remember how things were under Trump. And everyone knows tbe election was an absolute FRAUD.
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Wow, I was unaware that PA had an ex governor who was a card carrying Commie.
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