The Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, is pursuing a strategy never before undertaken as a major statewide candidate - he refuses to talk to just about any representative of conventional news media.

Not only that, but he has security personnel and aides who keep him and representatives of the media separated if they try to shout questions or corner him as he is coming to or leaving campaign appearances. He also refuses to take questions from them following personal appearances.

Before you dismiss such an approach as tantamount to sure defeat, consider that Mastriano won the Republican nomination with the same strategy, defeating a crowded field of other contenders in last May’s GOP primary.

It’s one thing, however, to win nomination appealing to a party base which is receptive to what some consider extremist views, but it is something else entirely to maintain that strategy during a General Election campaign when independents and others from the opposing party are needed to be successful.

Mastriano’s nontraditional approach is being closely watched not only by political strategists in Pennsylvania but by those throughout the country. Most believe such a strategy is unworkable in this modern era of instant communication.

The Franklin County state senator has relied almost exclusively on Facebook Live and appearances on select right wing cable shows, including Fox News and smaller outlets that appeal to the most conservative of the electorate.

By contrast, Mastriano’s Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has met with newspaper editorial boards, radio and TV interviewers in addition to having a strong online presence. In other words, Shapiro is taking an aggressive and conventional news media approach to get his information and platform to as many people as possible.

It seems to be paying off since two recent statewide polls show Shapiro with a comfortable double-digit lead.

Mastriano and his supporters insist that he is not to be counted out because of his impressive grassroots network which they believe will quietly surprise the pollsters and so-called experts come Election Day Nov. 8.

Several political analysts to whom I spoke don’t believe that Mastriano can be successful by shutting out conventional media. Mastriano has been frank about his disdain for mainline media and once even said, “I wouldn’t give mainstream media the time of day.” He has embraced former President Donald Trump’s frequent charge that the news media are the “enemy of the people.”

Whether these words will come back to haunt him or whether he has a brand-new formula to win election without legacy media is what many election observers are eager to find out.

Some believe that Mastriano is relying on the same strategy that former Trump used in winning Pennsylvania and the White House in 2016.

It no doubt will come down to turnout. If Mastriano is successful in getting a huge lift from his base come November and is able to get a few breaks here and there from other constituencies, he could make it close.

Most analysts believe that Mastriano would be wise to take a page from the playbooks of Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in taking on journalists aggressively in interviews and face-to-face confrontations. By not doing so, prospective voters might think he is trying to hide unpleasant information or that he doesn’t have the courage to take on what he considers to be unfair questions.

While Mastriano’s strategy plays out, some of his supporters believe legacy media’s time has come and gone, relinquishing their once lofty status to social media.

A recent Gallup Poll shows that Americans’ confidence in newspaper news has fallen to 16% while their confidence in TV news is down to 11%. Both are drops of 5% from last year.

When extremist candidates such as Mastriano avoid legacy media, they are not thrust into the embarrassing position of having to answer questions about whether the 2020 election was stolen, whether they support QAnon, whether some of their supporters have a direct pipeline to God and similar controversial issues.

The media’s job is to keep readers informed on campaign issues and candidates’ stances. When we go to events, we represent you, asking the questions you might ask. Not talking to the legacy media means candidates are not answering a question that you might ask. All voters should have the chance to at least “ask” those questions.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.