Trump recently asked a crowd if they like GOP PA Senate candidate Dr. Oz, whose nomination would hand the seat to Democrats.
The Punchbowl News AM Newsletter reported:
While delivering a private speech as part of his “American Freedom” tour in Florida this weekend, Trump asked the crowd what they thought about GOP candidate Mehmet Oz.
“Does anybody like Dr. Oz?” Trump asked, followed by cheers from the crowd. “He seems to be doing well, and he’s got a good race, a tough race going.”
To be sure, this does not signal anything concrete from Trump, who has tried to play GOP kingmaker. But it’s notable that Trump decided to namecheck Oz rather than David McCormick — the other frontrunner in the Republican primary who’s aggressively courting a Trump endorsement.
The Pennsylvania Senate Republican primary has already been a bloodbath, with the average of polls showing McCormick with a 1.7% edge over Dr. Oz, but recent polling has shown McCormick, Sands, and Oz locked in a tight three-way race with most GOP voters on decided.
On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman leads Rep. Conor Lamb, but on average, roughly 40% or of Democratic voters who are undecided.
A Trump endorsement has the potential to swing the Pennsylvania Republican primary toward Dr. Oz.
Trump, who was a celebrity candidate with no qualifications, seems drawn to Dr. Oz because he fits the same profile.
A Dr. Oz nomination would virtually hand the Senate seat to Democrats. As Oz has shown no popularity with the general electorate. Pennsylvania is not a state that takes to carpetbagging candidates, and Oz would not match up well in the general election with Fetterman or Lamb.
If Trump endorsed Oz and he won the primary, it would set Democrats up to flip the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Pat Toomey and take away the GOP path to winning back the Senate in November.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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