WASHINGTON – Doctor and television host Mehmet Oz claimed the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat on Friday after Pennsylvania Republican primary opponent David McCormick conceded that he cannot win a recount.
"This evening I received a gracious phone call from David McCormick and am tremendously grateful for his pledge of support in the fall election," Oz said in a victory statement.
McCormick, who trailed Oz by less than 1,000 votes after the May 17 Republican primary in Pennsylvania, told supporters at an event in Pittsburgh that the nearly-completed recount showed that the numbers simply weren't there to catch up.
“It’s now clear to me – with the recount now largely complete – that we have a nominee" in Oz, McCormick said. "Tonight is really about all us coming together.”
McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, said he told Oz he would "do my part" to unite Republicans and Pennsylvania residents behind the doctor's candidacy to the U.S. Senate. "He has my full support," McCormick said.
Oz, who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trumpn during the primary, said he appreciated McCormick's concession and that "we share the goal of a brighter future for Pennsylvania and America."
Pennsylvania officials authorized a recount because state law requires one when two candidates finish within 0.5% of each other.
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