Dr. Oz visits “Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner” at Fox News Channel Studios on March 09, 2020 in New York City.
Roy Rochlin | Getty Images
Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz will run for Senate as a Republican in Pennsylvania next year, adding intrigue to one of the races that will determine control of the chamber.
The 61-year-old host of “The Dr. Oz Show” will enter a crowded swing-state race where no clear frontrunner has emerged on the GOP side. Oz, who has never held elected office, will try to leverage his name recognition and wealth in the bid to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
The television personality announced his candidacy in an op-ed in the conservative Washington Examiner on Tuesday. In it, Oz — who has faced criticism for promoting unproven or alternative medicine over the years — promoted himself as a steady hand to combat the coronavirus pandemic as he criticized policymakers’ handling of the crisis.
“During the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That’s why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal,” he wrote.
To win back control of a Senate split 50-50 by party, the GOP may need to defend Toomey’s seat in the battleground state. Pennsylvania backed President Joe Biden by a 1.2 percentage point margin to help to send him to the White House last year. The political environment in 2022 will likely be more favorable to Republicans.
The GOP...
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