Here's What Dr. Mehmet Oz's Defeat Means For Pennsylvania
Dr. Mehmet Oz surprised many when he announced that he had decided to run for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat during the 2022 election as a Republican candidate. "As a heart surgeon, I know how precious life is," he said (per Associated Press). "Pennsylvania needs a conservative who will put America first, one who can reignite our divine spark, bravely fight for freedom and tell it like it is."
Unfortunately for his fans, that meant the end of his long-running talk show, "The Dr. Oz Show" because of a rule by the Federal Communications Commission that states all candidates must receive the same amount of free airtime on broadcast TV stations, according to Newsweek.
During the campaign, Dr. Oz vowed to make the major life change of giving up his Turkish citizenship if elected, and he received the support of Donald Trump. "Dr. Oz is Pro-Life, very strong on Crime, the Border, Election Fraud, our Great Military, and our Vets, Tax Cuts, and will always fight for and support our under-siege Second Amendment," he wrote. "Perhaps most importantly, I believe that Mehmet Oz will be the one most able to win the General Election against a Radical Left Democrat looking to do unthinkable harm to our Country."
But despite the endorsement from the former president, Dr. Oz wound up losing the seat to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, which is a huge win for the Democratic party.
Pennsylvania has flipped its Senate seat to Democrat
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman's defeat of Dr. Mehmet Oz means that Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat now belongs to the Democrats. "I'm not really sure what to say right now, my goodness," Fetterman said at a victory rally, per AOL. "We launched this campaign over two years ago, and we had our slogan, it's on every one of those signs right now: Every county, every vote."
Fetterman's victory was a big win for Democrats, who are trying to retain control of the Senate, according to CNN. Despite suffering a stroke in May 2022, Fetterman visited every county in the state during his campaign. He promised if elected to support codifying Roe v. Wade, as well as LGBTQ rights, gun safety laws, and labor unions. Fetterman also said he expects to have all or most of his strength back by the time he is sworn into office in early 2023.
As for Dr. Oz, there were reports that Donald Trump was already regretting his endorsement before election day. Although his wife, Melania Trump, encouraged him to endorse Dr. Oz, Trump worried that it would be an embarrassment for him if Dr. Oz lost (via Rolling Stone).