Carrie DelRosso is the Republican candidate running for Lieutenant Governor against Democrat Austin Davis. DelRosso is running alongside Doug Mastriano, the Republican state senator running for Governor running against Josh Shapiro. The Villanovan was able to sit down with DelRosso to discuss her values and goals. 

DelRosso is currently a state representative for the 33rd legislative district, which she won by beating the 29-year Democrat minority leader incumbent in 2020. DelRosso believes she was able to do this by getting to know the people she hoped to represent.

“The representation that I beat was complacent,” she said. “It wasn’t actually boots on the ground with the people…I did it by knocking on doors and talking to the residents. They wanted change.”

After Pennsylvania was redistricted following the 2020 census, DelRosso decided to run for Lieutenant Governor.

“They drew me pretty much out of the district that I ran in,” she said. “Quite honestly, I felt like I was being sidelined…My son looked at me and said, ‘Mom, you don’t retreat ever.’ And I said, ‘I know.’ So I made sure my tires were good in my truck and started running a statewide race. And here I am.”

DelRosso was a small business owner, and she believes her background can help her in office.

“As we’re touring I’m speaking with a lot of the small business owners,” she said. “They are the backbone of Pennsylvania, and I think that shutting them down and overregulating them is part of the problem…We’re at the hands of government officials that are saying, ‘You have to shut down’…and then what happens is you can’t pay your employees. So it will affect everyone from the top down. And I think that that’s where I bring that experience in.”

DelRosso referenced the government shutdowns during the pandemic, and a big part of her campaign is “bringing back personal freedoms.” She believes it is the job of the government to keep the residents safe without restricting their personal liberties, including mask and vaccine mandates.

“It was a time of uncertainty when I was knocking on those doors, so I brought a mask with me,” she said of her time on the campaign trail in 2020. “Some people don’t believe in masks. Some people do believe in masks. Some people believe in vaccines and some people don’t. But that’s the freedom that myself and Senator Mastriano are going to restore, is making sure that we have those freedoms that we simply lost during the pandemic.”

DelRosso also discussed her thoughts on gun rights with The Villanovan. She explained that she supports Second Amendment rights, and when asked about keeping Pennsylvanians safe and reducing shootings, she cited securing our borders, education, fully funding law enforcement and mental health initiatives.

Additionally, DelRosso has made election integrity a key issue on her campaign trail.

“Well, I think Pennsylvania has old laws that need to be reformed,” she said. “I think that once Senator Mastriano is the governor, he will appoint a Secretary of State that will push fair elections. I think that that’s what needs to happen. I think that we need to clean up our voter rules. I think it needs to be done. Look, the only way it’s gonna happen is if Senator Mastriano is our next governor.”

When she was asked about her own thoughts on the integrity of the 2020 election, DelRosso wasn’t clear on where she stood and could not say if there was voter fraud.

“I would not say that I can prove it, but at the same time I think that, again, we do need fair elections,” she said, although multiple sources, including the University of Chicago, the New York Times, the U.S. Justice Department and even members of Trump’s own administration have declared that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Mastriano, DelRosso’s running mate, has been described as extreme by many, especially due to his attendance at the insurrection on January 6th. Yet DelRosso does not believe her running mate is too extreme, and she believes he is the man to unite Pennsylvania. 

“And he’s far from it,” she said. “He’s a leader. He needs to bring everyone to the table and get everyone to kind of let it down and work together. He’s the guy for the job. I’m very proud to be on the ticket with Senator Doug Mastriano.”

“It’s everyone’s right to rally, and I think that also got played off by the media pretty harshly,” she said. “He’s a wonderful guy who’s going to restore freedom in Pennsylvania.”  

Finally, to all the Villanovans on the fence this upcoming election, DelRosso wanted students to know that she listens to everyone: Republicans, Democrats and Independents. 

“One of the things we need back in Pennsylvania is we need to restore the respect for each other,” she said. “My one grandfather was a Republican, and my other grandfather was a Democrat. Never once did we break bread and fight over politics. Now my kids are coming home from school and saying, ‘What’s an abortion?’ at the age 10. That’s the issue.”

She encouraged students to reach out, as she would be happy to speak with them about their concerns. 

“I think it’s important that people know that I’m a real person, you know, I’m not some movie star politician,” she said, laughing. “Myself and Senator Mastriano are two people who walk as free people. We want people to walk as free people. The other team, they’re career politicians. If you add up, I think they’re probably close to 30 years in politics, if not more…that’s the difference in the ticket.”