Dr. Oz Running For Pennsylvania U.S. Senate In Wide Open Race For GOP Nomination
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — In a 60-second video released on Tuesday afternoon, celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz says he's running for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania.
Oz has been speaking with prominent Republicans in recent days, so the announcement comes as no surprise.
When the Trump-endorsed candidate Sean Parnell dropped out of the race last week, there was no clear favorite in the Republican primary. That created an opportunity for a well-known celebrity doctor to join the fray.
"Pennsylvania needs a conservative who will put America first, one who can reunite our divine spark, bravely fight for freedom and tell it like it is," Oz said in his video. "That's why I'm running for Senate."
Mehmet Oz, best known as a medical expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show before launching his own Dr. Oz television program, blamed Washington for botching the pandemic recovery without getting specific.
"Washington got it wrong. They took away our freedom without making us safer. They tried to kill our spirit and our dignity," he says.
Born in Cleveland of Turkish immigrants, Oz served in the Turkish Army and holds citizenship in both Turkey and the United States.
His ties to Pennsylvania include his medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his wife Lisa who is from suburban Philadelphia.
Allegheny County Republican Party chair Sam DeMarco has talked with Oz recently about his candidacy and says he's impressed.
"This is a serious guy who has put a lot of thought into this," DeMarco told KDKA political editor Jon Delano. "This isn't a vanity play or something about boosting celebrity. He will have to stop his show to do this. So he is very serious about this and based upon the conversation we had and what I know about him, he has the potential to be very successful."
Mike DeVanney, a political strategist who has run statewide Republican campaigns, says Oz does not have a lock on the GOP nomination.
"The question for any of these celebrity or niche candidates is how are they going to fare on the road," says DeVanney. "Are they going to visit each of the 67 counties? It's very different to be on a television show where you get to dictate the script to having the script turn on you when you're a candidate."
Other Republican candidates include former Lt. Governor candidate Jeff Bartos, former Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands and conservative commentator Kathy Barnette.
Sources tell KDKA that David McCormick, the former CEO of Pittsburgh-based Free Markets, is expected to return to Pittsburgh in the next few weeks to announce his candidacy.
"All eyes of the nation are going to come back to the Keystone State once again. This seat could impact the balance of power in the United States Senate, and as a result, the stakes are going to be pretty high," notes DeVanney.
The Pennsylvania primary is just 24 weeks from Tuesday.
