Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania financier and major Republican donor, had a clear request for Bill McSwain, a trailing candidate in that state’s GOP primaries for governor.
On a phone call last Tuesday, Mr. Yass asked: Are you considering quitting?
Mr McSwain, a former US attorney who has handled many such calls lately, said he would consider it. He’d held on so far, and with a week to go, why stop now?
Mr. Yass urged Mr. McSwain to consider the risk that if he stayed in the race, his candidacy could divide the votes in a way that would help a polarizing far-right Republican candidate and put Democrats on a sure path to the would bring victory in the fall.
The far-right candidate, Doug Mastriano, a conspiracy theorist senator, is leading the polls ahead of Tuesday’s primaries. Many Republican leaders and donors have worried that if Mr. Mastriano wins the nomination, he would saddle the Republican Party with a candidate who could be easily defeated by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is undisputedly on the Democratic side of the party. race.
Mr Yass is a prominent supporter of charter schools, which are an important part of Mr McSwain’s campaign. As a state legislator, Mr. Shapiro opposes tuition vouchers for private schools, but he has spoken out for the principle of letting parents choose where to send their children. He is in favor of more money for public schools.
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The pivotal swing state will hold its primary on May 17, with key races for a US Senate seat and governorship.
“This is about the case, not you,” Mr. Yass told Mr. McSwain. “If you quit, we’ll have a better chance of beating” what he called “wealthy Democrats like Josh Shapiro.”
In the end, Mr. McSwain decided to stick with his long-awaited candidacy. The ballots were printed a long time ago and it is unlikely that many voters would know if Mr. McSwain would leave the race. The little ad money left over was already spent on pro-McSwain ads.
Mr McSwain did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The phone call was described by five people who were briefed on the content and insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.
On Saturday, former President Donald J. Trump approved Mr. Mastriano, shaking up the raucous Pennsylvania Republican Party establishment, which has been alarmed by the former military officer’s meteoric rise. Party leaders have gathered around the candidate believed to be second behind Mr. Mastriano, former Representative Lou Barletta, but many fear it will be too late to stop Mr Mastriano from winning the nomination.
On Sunday evening, the Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, a powerful Pennsylvania organization that is the largest funder of Mr. McSwain, Mr. Bartlett good.
“It has become abundantly clear in recent days that nominating Lou Barletta as governor is Republicans’ best shot at defeating Josh Shapiro in November,” Matt Brouillette, the director of the pro-business group, said in a statement.
Mr Brouillette urged Mr McSwain and another candidate, Dave White, to withdraw from the primary “for the good of our commonwealth and our country”.
In an interview, Mr. Brouillette that his organization had concluded that Mr. Mastriano would lose to Mr. Shapiro. “We have determined mathematically that he cannot win because, given his extreme behavior, he will not appeal to the main voters,” Brouillette said.
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Mr. Mastriano “couldn’t rule” even if he won, Mr. Brouillette added, pointing to the candidate’s toxic relationship with many in the Pennsylvania Republican Party, as well as his role in organizing and attending the protests ahead of the 2021 Capitol attack. “He wouldn’t get anything done.”
In a statement issued after Mr Barletta’s approval by the Commonwealth Partners, the McSwain campaign said he intended to stay in the race.
Mr. Yass, a highly private player in Republican politics and co-founder of the Susquehanna International Group, an investment company, is a major donor to libertarian causes. He is also a major funder of the Club for Growth, the influential anti-tax group.
