Trump Endorses Doctor Oz in Key Senate Battleground

Former President Donald Trump endorsed celebrity TV Doctor Mehmet Oz for Senate in Pennsylvania.

Summary

Former President Donald Trump endorsed celebrity TV Doctor Mehmet Oz for the Republican nomination for Senate in Pennsylvania, a critical midterm battleground state.

• Trump said his decision to endorse a fellow reality-TV star for Senate was “all about winning elections” and said “You know when you’re in television for 18 years, that’s like a poll. That means people like you.”
• Many former Trump staffers have gravitated towards the campaign of Oz’s rival, businessman and veteran Dave McCormick, the former CEO of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.
• McCormick currently leads Oz in most primary polls. The winner of the nomination will likely face left-wing Lt. Governor John Fetterman (D) or Pittsburgh Rep. Conor. Lamb (D) in the general election.
• Dr. Mehmet Oz earned a vast fortune for his long-running TV show Dr. Oz and rose to prominence with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
• Trump’s endorsement of Oz is his second attempt at picking a winner in Pennsylvania’s Senate race. His initial pick, veteran and failed 2020 House candidate Sean Parnell, dropped out of the race in November after losing custody of his children amid a messy divorce case.

• Axios characterized Trump’s “surprise” endorsement of OZ as a “gamble” with his status as a GOP kingmaker. If the polls are accurate and McCormick wins without Trump, he’ll be able to say “he did it without Trump.”
• The Daily Beast covered the blowback against Trump’s pick among his most ardent supporters in the MAGA establishment media. Sean Parnell, Trump’s first pick for Pennsylvania’s Senate race, quickly came out against his decision and called Oz “the antithesis” of Trump.
• The Guardian focused on the similarities between Trump and Oz’s backgrounds in reality television, and the pushback his endorsement received from segments of pro-Trump Republicans.

• The Washington Examiner provided more background on the behind-the-scenes battle for Trump’s endorsement between Oz and McCormick.
• National Review highlighted reasons for Republican hesitation towards Oz, namely he “is new to the political arena and doesn’t have a proven record of conservative policy making.”
• Breitbart’s coverage focused on what Trump called the “electability” argument behind his endorsement, and his statement that this was “all about winning elections in order to stop the Radical Left maniacs from destroying our Country.”

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© Dominic Moore, 2022