• Dr Oz has reportedly taken the first steps to launch a potential Senate nomination in Pennsylvania, according to Politico.
• However, Oz’s behind-the-scenes positioning has been greeted with bemusement by some Republicans across the state.
• A state GOP strategist said overall the response to Oz entering the race “has been” LOL. “

Cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality Dr Mehmet Oz is well known in the United States for his daytime talk show, where he has been giving advice on health and wellness for years.

However, according to a Politico report, Dr Oz is potentially looking to race for the Pennsylvania Senate in 2022 to succeed two-term Republican Senator Pat Toomey, and he has already been looking for a house in the suburb of wealthy Philadelphia. in votes.

But Republicans – who have yet to see a heavyweight emerge in the race – are intrigued by a possible Oz campaign, despite the candidate secretly seeking a planner and policy director, according to a person who has been approached about the posts and spoke to Politico.

The race is crucial for Kentucky Senatorial Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the nation’s top Republicans as they see a GOP majority on hand in the 2022 midterm election, with Pennsylvania a swing state. very competitive, at the top of their target list.

Although former President Donald Trump has already backed 2020 Congressional nominee Sean Parnell in the race, Republican activists and donors are nervous about allegations that Parnell abused his wife and children, says he vehemently denies it.

Jeff Bartos, a real estate developer running in the GOP primary, called Parnell “ineligible” after two temporary abuse protection orders sought by Parnell’s wife were issued in 2017 and 2018, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. After a hearing, none of the orders were extended and they were eventually removed, according to The Inquirer.

However, Bartos’ attacks could potentially create tensions with conservative supporters of Parnell and Trump.

Carla Sands, who served as U.S. ambassador to Denmark under Trump, is an open candidate but has yet to garner much attention in the race.

And former Rep. Ryan Costello, a moderate Republican from the Chester County hub who served in Congress from 2015 to 2019, has long been seen as a potential statewide candidate – but he’s deeply sidelined. insane Trump.

Oz faces significant obstacles if he enters the race

The fluidity of the terrain has left Republicans in Pennsylvania searching for a solution – though they’re not sure Oz is their answer.

“I don’t know of a single politically involved person in Pennsylvania who isn’t getting paid and wants to be involved in this effort,” a state GOP strategist told Politico, saying that “the nearly universal response has summer “LOL”.

“No one thinks the solution to Sean Parnell’s problem is Dr Oz,” the strategist added.

A spokesperson for Oz told the Washington Free Beacon, which first reported on a possible doctor’s campaign, that “Dr. Oz has been encouraged to run for the US Senate, but is currently focusing on our broadcast and has no announcements at this time. “

A senior state GOP official told Politico that Parnell’s ongoing legal issues “kind of opened the door for other candidates considering taking the plunge.”

“It is also to a certain extent a process led by political consultants, so it is up to some of these companies to look for a rich, very visible and well-known candidate to lead them,” added the assistant.

A person linked to Parnell’s campaign told Politico the candidate will only quit the race if he loses custody of his children in court.

“His whole campaign comes down to whether he has custody of his children or not,” the individual said.

According to Politico, Oz is already referred to as an “upholsterer” in some quarters as he was registered to vote in New Jersey in 2020, voting by mail in October before registering to vote in Pennsylvania just two months later.

Oz has been called in the past for promoting supplements on his TV show that hadn’t really been shown to be helpful; he was reprimanded at a Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing in 2014.

In April 2015, a group of doctors at Columbia University Medical Center, where Oz is on staff, released a letter expressing their displeasure with his affiliation with the institution.

The group accused Oz of “showing a flagrant lack of integrity in promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain.”

Oz fiercely defended himself against criticism, rejecting any notion that he was acting in bad faith.

“I bring information to the public that will help them on their way to the best of themselves. We bring multiple points of view, including mine which is offered without conflict of interest. It doesn’t fit well with some agendas that distort the facts, “he said in a statement at the time.