Dr. Ouncesis operating for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania in a large open race for GOP nomination – CBS Pittsburgh

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (KDKA) – In a 60-second video released Tuesday afternoon, celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz said he was running for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania.

Oz has spoken to prominent Republicans for the past few days, so the announcement comes as no surprise.

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When Trump-backed candidate Sean Parnell was eliminated from the race last week, there was no clear favorite in the Republican primary. That offered an opportunity for a well-known celebrity doctor to join the fight.

“Pennsylvania needs a Conservative who can put America first, one who can reunite our divine spark, fight valiantly for freedom, and tell it for what it is,” Oz said on his video. “That’s why I’m running for the Senate.”

I’m running for the Senate in Pennsylvania because America needs a Conservative Republican to heal what’s wrong with Washington. I am a world class surgeon, fighter, and health care advocate who moves forward to cure our country’s diseases. Watch my announcement video now! pic.twitter.com/yLhKsZm9sl

– Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) November 30, 2021

Mehmet Oz, best known as a medical expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show, before starting his own Dr. Oz television program launched, accusing Washington of botching the pandemic’s recovery without getting concrete.

“Washington got it wrong. They took our freedom from us without making us safer. They tried to kill our spirits and our dignity, ”he says.

Born in Cleveland, the son of Turkish immigrants, Oz served in the Turkish Army and is a citizen of both Turkey and the United States.

His Pennsylvania connections include studying medicine and economics at the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia and his wife Lisa, who is from suburban Philadelphia.

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Allegheny County’s Republican Party leader Sam DeMarco recently spoke to Oz about his candidacy and says he was impressed.

“He’s a serious guy who’s put a lot of thought into it,” DeMarco told KDKA political editor Jon Delano. “This is not a vanity game or something about increasing fame. To do this, he has to interrupt his show. So he takes this very seriously and based on 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 nationwide Republican campaigns, says Oz has no limit on GOP nominations.

“The question for any of these celebrity or niche candidates is how they’re going to fare on the streets,” says DeVanney. “Are you going to visit each of the 67 counties? Being on a television show dictating the script is very different from being a candidate.

Other Republican candidates include the former Lt. Candidate governor Jeff Bartos, former Danish Ambassador Carla Sands and Conservative commentator Kathy Barnette.

Sources tell KDKA that David McCormick, the former Pittsburgh-based Free Markets CEO, is expected to return to Pittsburgh in the next few weeks to announce his candidacy.

“All eyes of the nation will come back to Keystone State. That seat could affect the balance of power in the United States Senate, so the stakes are pretty high, ”notes DeVanney.

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The Pennsylvania area code lasts only 24 weeks starting Tuesday.