Dr. Mehmet Oz announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on November 30. Oz, who is currently a resident in New Jersey, plans to run in Pennsylvania where the incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey (a Republican) is not seeking reelection. According to the Registrar, Oz changed his voter registration from New Jersey to Pennsylvania in December 2020. He used his in-laws’ outside Philadelphia address to establish residency in Pennsylvania.The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Oz cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a motivating factor for his run, sharing his official statement on the conservative outlet The Washington Examiner. “COVID-19 became an excuse for the government and elite thinkers who controlled the means of communication to suspend debate,”He wrote. “Dissenting opinions from leading scholars were ridiculed and canceled so their ideas could not be disseminated.”He also wrote a tribute to his father, an immigrant. “He [my father] taught me to study hard, enjoy the dignity of work, and serve others. My formative years were spent preparing for a lifetime of challenging operation.”
Oz’s announcement came after the early front-runner Sean Parnell — whom former President Donald Trump had endorsed — left the race after his wife claimed in family court that he physically abused her and her children, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. With Oz’s high name recognition and connection to the former president — Trump appeared on Oz’s show in 2016 and Oz served on Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, per The Washington Post— he stands a chance to rise to the top of the field. “That’s certainly going to create a reshuffling of the race here,”Sam DeMarco was the Allegheny County Republican Party chair. Associated Press.