(CNN)Republicans, reacting to the victory of Trump-backed Doug Mastriano in the GOP gubernatorial primary in Pennsylvania, were uneasy about the election falsehoods he's spread about 2020 -- and warned that voters aren't interested in re-litigating it.

"I don't think 2020 is what people are going to want to think about," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told CNN when asked about Mastriano's claims.

The fear among Republicans in the Senate is that if Mastriano implodes in the general election it could hurt their Senate candidate, according to several GOP sources. The GOP Senate primary has not yet been called. The uneasiness over Mastriano underscores the larger split within the Republican Party over former President Donald Trump's false claims about the 2020 election, particularly among those who say such claims will harm the party's electoral chances in November.

Senate GOP Whip John Thune also expressed concern about Mastriano's past comments, telling CNN: "Some of the statements I think that that individual has made aren't ideal." And he added: "But I think people hopefully are, when it comes to the fall election, are very discerning and will be able to differentiate candidate for governor from the candidate for Senate."

"If you run across the state, you need to know the state and I think in some of these particularly battleground states, that may not be a winning message," Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said of Mastriano's stolen election claims.

Tillis said...

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