Gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango’s campaign is calling out fellow candidate state Senator Scott Wagner (R-York) for describing Mango’s West Point education as a “free education” on WHTM’s Sunday morning show This Week in Pennsylvania.
During an appearance on WHTM’s This Week in Pennsylvania, Wagner was asked for his thoughts on Mango and his candidacy.
“Mango is probably a nice person, I have never met the gentleman. He went to West Point, he got a free education. He will be quick to tell people that he has an MBA from Harvard. That means that he is supposedly smarter than others,” Wagner said during the show.
“Senator Wagner’s comments were below the office he seeks, an insult to the National Guardsmen he hopes to command as governor, and he owes Paul Mango and all veterans in Pennsylvania an apology for his ignorant comments,” said Brandon Rumbaugh, a member of the Veterans for Mango coalition and a double-amputee veteran of Afghanistan.
Mango attended West Point, as did his wife and daughter. Mango’s daughter currently serves in the Army in Korea.
“We were sort of a little speechless to be honest with you that he would be this flippant and dismissive of people who want to serve their country,” Mango campaign spokesman Matt Beynon told the Patriot News.
Wagner’s campaign manager Jason High told the Patriot News that Wagner has donated over $102,000 to veterans’ organizations over the last three years.
During the show, Wagner also hit Mango on his record of missing primary election votes. Mango did admit to missing those votes, and said he “wish[ed] I would have been more active politically earlier in my life.”
While the primary election is not until May 15th, both candidates are fighting to position themselves as the strongest candidate for the PA GOP’s Winter meeting when the party will likely endorse a candidate for the primary.
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36 Responses
There was once a time in America where Republican politician would never even think of insulting veterans. Paul Mango has more character in his little finger than Wagner has in his whole body. Hopefully the Commonwealth can have a person with real character in the governor’s mansion. It’s been a while.
“There was once a time in America [in which a] Republican politician would never even think of insulting…” the incumbent-GOP POTUS by countering his major policy initiative [repealing/replacing ObamaDon’tCare and capping Medicaid in the process].
…
“Hopefully the Commonwealth can have a person with real [commitment to core-Conservatism] in the governor’s mansion. It’s been a while.”
this could have been handled so much better, a seasoned candidate would say:
Mr. Mango is a fine man and a true patriot, but i’m the best qualified candidate to be the republican nominee.
Wager stepped on his message and whatever else he said Sunday doesn’t matter…
Scott wake up are you really that insecure?
He’s cool, and should wrap-up the nomination long before January.
Insecure? No!However, he just needs to stay on message and think things through before speaking. We, as candidates will often have our words taken out of context; it just comes with the territory !
Wagner sounds as stupid as Our President did when he said he didn’t have any respect for Sen. John McCain because McCain got captured. Both Wagner and Trump are asshats. That said, Wagner could be a good governor. State spending has increased every year in recent memory, and it’ll take a mean S.O.B. to actually provide a budget that spends less this year than it did last year. But, y’know, it doesn’t take all that much smarts to treat rivals as decent human beings.
He’s not stupid, and Wagner’s policies [vide infra] are true-conservative…presaging efforts to achieve the type of governmental revolution on the state-level that The Donald has manifest nationally.
Insecure? No!However, he just needs to stay on message and think things through before speaking. We, as candidates will often have our words taken out of context; it just comes with the territory !
Well stated!
Republicans strongly supported a Presidential candidate who denigrated POWs, Gold Star families, Generals, the intelligence community, and the whole military. Scott Wagner claims to have been Donald Trump before Trump came on to the political stage. Chicken hawks hating on veterans is nothing new from the right.
This posting corrupts truth, both regarding The Donald [who consistently HONORS the troops while DENIGRATING the subset thereof who function via the Deep State] and Wagner [who appears to have the same pedigree as does the POTUS].
Wagner is very Hitler-like
That is so hateful, undignified, and utterly irresponsible. You don’t know the mind of Hitler, Wagner or anybody else for that matter. You proved that with your statement!
This is tangential to policy plans of both, inasmuch as Turzai seems inert; for example, Mango appears to approve of governmental largess as might a Dem, inasmuch as “Mango said he does not want to roll back Medicaid expansion, which gave health coverage to up to 800,000 working-poor Pennsylvanians.”
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Wagz is a clown. Egomanic with low impulse control who’s frustrated he cant beat or buy his way through this. We need leadership with vision, poise, and awareness. Mango is the only candidate I see for PA with thise traits.
Let me guess, you’re on the Mango payroll…?
let me guess ‘TellingItLikeItIs’ you are being paid off by Wagner just like the majority of his supporters….
Am a Wagner supporter & small donor because Scott has a plan to FIX PA. There is way TOO much waste & fraud in the PA Budget. We need a person with management skills and a fiscal conservative to be the next Governor and that person is Sen Scott Wagner
Christopher Fromme; I agree that is what we need and I agree that Senator Wagner does check a lot of those boxes. To me, this comes down to a moral judgement of Scott’s past and the comments he continues to make like this one. Even fighting with the tracker, he has to know better than that if he expects to be our Governor. I don’t think the Trump route is smart, because I’m not sure that everyone from 2016 comes out again in 2018. Will be interesting to see.
Wagner’s daughter received a free education, after he choked her out and paid her to shut up.
Some people are into that.
The US Military Academy was established by an act of Congress in 1802. For 215 years West Point has been held in high esteem by the entire world for producing not only great military leaders, but captains of industry. Beyond developing military leaders to defend our country, graduates have made immense contributions in the infrastructure of this country through engineering. It was the first school for training engineers. Graduates surveyed and mapped most of the country, built the transcontinental railroads; did river and harbor improvements; built light houses and water systems, did road surveys and constructed gas, light, and water systems; they built the dome of the National capital and its wings, and built the Panama Canal; they commanded the atomic program which forever changed the world. Frank Borman and Ed White helped America put a man on the moon and advance space travel.
The Long Gray Line has made a greater contribution to this great nation than perhaps any other institution. And we are not even including the contributions the men and women of the US Naval Academy, the US Air Force Academy and the US Merchant Marine Academy have made! The early fathers of this nation had vision. Paul Mango has vision. Scott Wagner has cataracts!
Don’t forget the Coast Guard Academy!
A friend who’s a Pastor would use the saying. If you need to know if something is crooked put a straight stick beside it. Paul Mango is that straight stick. His actions of serving our Country and experience gained by working hard show’s that he is not only Ready to serve as the next Governor Pennsylvania but that he is a straight stick in a race full of crooked ones.
This glib comment shows me how Wagner really feels about our military. Our freedom isn’t “free.” Doesn’t matter how much money you dontate this time pal, your true colors are a shining example of how you really feel.
This is a non-story. If this is the worst thing opponents have on Scott Wagner they have no chance. Mango is a joke of a candidate and Wolf is a tax and spend liberal.
Well, good thing it is no where near the worst thing that is out there on Wagner lol. He is a domestic abuser with a history of misogyny. When you disrespect 50% of the electorate it makes it hard to win. This is far worse than Trump “grabbing a woman by her – – – – -“.
proof?
And Wagner is a borrow and spend conservative?
Wagner wears his abrasive behavior as a badge of courage when in reality it’s the sign of a weak & undisciplined man. He isn’t worthy of the spit needed to spit shine a set of military boots.
In Wagner’s world education is a bad thing. Wagner wouldn’t have been excepted at either school this guy went to. Wagner is just like Trump. No real ideas for the problems he complains about and he just can’t wait to be the bully.
grammar alert: “ACcepted”
Wagner is appealing to those morons who think that an education is a bad thing, which, apparently, is a majority of the Republican primary electorate.
I have no love for Mango, but this is a crystal clear example of Wagner taking every opportunity he can to demonize someone who is clearly well-educated. Frankly, I have no doubt that Mango is smarter than this buffoon.
Is America great again, yet?
“Wagner also hit Mango….” Not again, Wagner. I suppose no prosecutor will want to prosecute this assault either.