Businessman David McCormick lost to his rival Mehmet Oz in the Republican primary for the Pennsylvania Senate, capping a confusing and closely divided process.
McCormick said during a media availability Friday that he “came so close” to election night and spent more than two weeks “making sure every Republican vote was counted in a way that served the will of Pennsylvania voters.” . after a recount was called with Oz leading by less than 1,000 votes.
“But now it’s clear to me, with the count almost complete, that we have a candidate. And today I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory,” he said. “And I told him what I always told them: that I will do my part to try to unite Republicans and Pennsylvanians behind his candidacy, behind his Senate nomination.”
in a short twitter threadOz confirmed that McCormick had called him and said he was “tremendously grateful” for his support.
“Now that our primaries are over, we will make sure this US Senate seat does not fall to the radical left, led by John Fetterman,” he wrote.
“I look forward to campaigning in every corner of the Commonwealth over the next five months to win the support of all Pennsylvanians,” Oz added.
The surprise concession comes after Pennsylvania’s acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman last week ordered a recount in the race with Oz and McCormick split by just 902 votes, or about 0.1 percentage point.
The count was due to end on June 7 and the results would be published the following day. However, McCormick said he didn’t need to wait to see the final results.
Instead, the former hedge fund manager turned his attention to the general election, in which Oz will face Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), who is currently recovering from a stroke, in one of the Senate races. most important this year.
“It is very important that we defeat John Fetterman, and it is very important for the country that we take back the Senate in 2022. So [Oz] He has my full support,” he said.
The Hill has reached out to the Oz campaign for comment.
The show of unity marks a stark contrast to much of the campaign since the two candidates took the field earlier this year.
McCormick and Oz quickly became the top two candidates due in large part to the huge amounts of their own money they spent to boost their candidacies.
McCormick, who is from Pennsylvania but lived in Connecticut until recently, he made Oz’s ties to Turkey and close connection to the Keystone State a prominent line of attack, while Oz responded by hitting McCormick’s ties to Wall Street and his former hedge fund’s ties to China.
The personal tug-of-war became so acrimonious that it opened a path for conservative commentator Kathy Barnette to emerge in the later stages of the primary, though she ultimately came in third.
The development marks a major victory for former President Trump, who offered his endorsement of Oz in a surprise announcement in April. Trump, after the primary, urged the famous doctor to say that he had won even though the votes were still being counted at the time.
Oz’s victory is only more significant for Trump given the recent blows the former president’s brand received during the May primary, with his candidates chosen in the Georgia and Nebraska Republican gubernatorial primaries, as well as some House primaries. that fell short.
The race to replace outgoing Senator Pat Toomey (R) is anticipated to be one of the most costly and closely fought of the entire cycle, and both parties immediately began to step up their messaging for the general election.
Republicans began lining up behind Oz following McCormick’s announcement, with the Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP’s main super PAC, touting his presence on television as a longtime talk show host, and reminding reporters in a press release of his previous $24 million reserve. in Pennsylvania advertising time beginning this fall.
“Dr. Oz became a household name because families across America trust his empathetic approach to their health. As he enters a new arena, Oz is bringing the same bedside manner to win the vote.” of Pennsylvanians throughout the Commonwealth.” said Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund. “That’s why Dr. Oz will be an excellent US Senator, and we’ll be there every step of the way to make that case to the voters of Pennsylvania.”
Democrats, for their part, seized on McCormick’s concession, linking Oz to Trump and highlighting past claims that the doctor has promoted questionable dietary supplements and other remedies.
“Mehmet Oz is a fraud and con man who will do, say and sell anything to help himself, no matter who gets hurt. He has been called ‘a charlatan, a fraud and a charlatan’ whose false claims ‘endanger patients’. He is a different and more dangerous kind of Republican: he wants to make abortion illegal and has promoted Donald Trump’s Big Lie about the 2020 election.” said Democratic Senate Campaign Committee spokesman Patrick Burgwinkle.
“An egotistical millionaire with no real connection to the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania voters will send him back to Hollywood in November.”
Meanwhile, Fetterman continues to recover from a stroke he suffered last month and said in a statement Friday that he “nearly died.” He, too, disclosed a previous heart condition in 2017, all this just months before the November general election.
Brandon Conradis contributed. Updated at 20:18
Reference-thehill.com