Joe Gale Announces Run For Governor, Sean Gale For U.S. Senate

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Two staunch supporters of President Trump have declared their candidacy for major public office in Pennsylvania in 2022, setting up primary competition that could prove to serve as litmus tests of the balance of power within the Republican Party.

Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale will run for governor, and his brother Sean Gale will pursue outgoing Republican Pat Toomey's seat in the U.S. Senate, the pair announced on Tuesday.

"In my travels across Pennsylvania, countless people have encouraged me to run for Governor and nearly just as many have asked me to run for U.S. Senate," Joe Gale said. "It is quite clear that there is a growing appetite to fill both seats with an independent conservative outsider who has the proven ability to win and the fortitude to lead."

Joe Gale has been one of Trump's most consistent and vociferous defenders over the past four years, and his local campaigns have echoed the president's anti-establishment and populist message. Besides not shying away from attacking his own party, Gale has been a lightning rod for controversy for other reasons, too. He came under fire last summer after calling Black Lives Matter a hate group that had manufactured claims of racial injustice. The comments sparked a series of protests, as well as formal legislation have him impeached from his county commissioner's post.

Current Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf cannot run for a third term, and there are a number of Democrats who could replace him. Another former Montgomery County Commissioner, current state attorney general Josh Shapiro, is on the shortlist of likely candidates.

The Republican race is less clear, though rumors in the past have connected former GOP House Speaker Mike Turzai to the role. What seems all but a given, though, is that Gale will face opposition from at least one more mainstream Republican.

"The Republican Party cannot go backward to move forward," Gale added. "To continue advancing the Trump movement, we must remain committed to draining the swamp within the GOP, which is best accomplished by winning Republican primaries. The mid-term elections of 2022 offer frustrated Pennsylvania Republican voters a unique opportunity."

The Senate race, meanwhile, is wide open, as the outgoing Toomey, who voted to convict President Trump last week, has been condemned by many in his party. Current Lt. Governor John Fetterman, a Democrat, announced his candidacy

Joe Biden won Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, but narrowly, and the state remains a toss up looking ahead to the coming midterm election cycle.

Now 31, Joe Gale has aspired for state office in the past. After originally being elected as county commissioner in 2016, he attempted to run for lieutenant governor in 2018, but was ordered off of the ballot for being too young (30 is the minimum age).

His brother Sean, an attorney, finished short in the Republican primaries for the county commissioner's race in 2019.