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Dr. Oz Wins Republican Primary In PA Senate Race After Opponent Concedes – Update

UPDATED: Dr. Oz is now the presumptive GOP candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, per Politico. Former hedge fund CEO David McCormick bowed out of the Republican primary which, while votes were cast weeks ago, has been held in limbo by Oz’s razor-thin lead of about 1,000 votes.

The Donald Trump-backed Oz declared himself the winner about 10 days ago but, with the thin margin and votes still being counted, McCormick understandably believed he could win.

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Oz will face-off against Democratic nominee John Fetterman in November.

You can watch McCormick’s concession speech below.

PREVIOUSLY on May 20: Celebrity TV Doctor Mehmet Oz will have to wait a few more weeks until he finds out whether he won or lost his bid to become the Republican nominee in the race for Pennsylvania’s empty Senate seat.

While there is no official word, the Associated Press — long the gold standard in American election results — reported today that the contest between Oz and hedge fund CEO David McCormick “is too close to call and is likely headed for a statewide recount.”

The AP reports the results may not be available until June 8, the deadline for counties to submit their final counts. Both campaigns have apparently brought on campaign strategists that former President Donald Trump used to spearhead his unsuccessful 2020 recount efforts.

PREVIOUSLY on May 18 When America fell asleep watching the election returns last night, Dave McCormick led Dr. Mehmet Oz 31.2% to 31.1% in the race to become the Republican nominee in the election for the Pennsylvania Senate seat being vacated by Pat Toomey. What a difference a day makes.

Late today, those results had flipped, with Oz registering 31.2% and McCormick 31.1%. A New York Times tally had the lead at just over 1200 votes. Thousands of votes are outstanding — many of them mail in ballots — and, according to several reports, they could take weeks to count. Pennsylvania law mandates an automatic recount if a margin of victory is 0.5% or less. If a recount is happens, the final numbers be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State on June 8, the Washington Post reported.

PREVIOUSLY on May 17: Despite a stamp of support from former president and fellow TV personality Donald Trump, celebrity-doctor-turned U.S. Senate hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz failed tonight to clinch the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.

Oz and former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick are the two front runners in the race, which continues to be too close to call, with McCormick clocking in at 31.2% of the vote and Oz at 31.1% as of 9 p.m. PT, according to the Washington Post. Under Pennsylvania law, any vote margin under 0.5% automatically triggers a recount.

The race was tight after the polls closed and tightened further as results came in, making a recount all but certain. Out of 1.1 million Republican votes cast in the primary, Oz and McCormick remain separated by just 1477 votes, per Fox News.

A dark horse candidate, Kathy Barnette, who raised far less than her better-known opponents but had surge of support late in the race thanks to a strong debate performance, may have been a spoiler, coming in at 24.7%. That’s good ROI, considering Oz and McCormick lent their own campaigns $12 million and $11 million, respectively.

Oz is a longtime resident of New Jersey, but according to the Associated Press, he registered to his in-law’s address in the Philadelphia suburbs to vote by absentee last year, which qualified him to run the in the state this year.

He was booed by potential supporters at a rainy rally he held with Trump on May 7. He likely didn’t change any of those Pennsylvanians’ minds when he refused last week to say the 2020 election was rigged. Support of that false narrative has been a litmus test for many Trump supporters.

Late Tuesday night, Oz took to the stage at his campaign headquarters to admit there likely won’t be a result tonight, but he is confident of a win. To Trump he said, “I’ll make you proud.”

He went on to thank Fox News’ Sean Hannity for what he said were late night conversations and advice.

“Sean’s like a brother to me,” said the TV doctor to those assembled. “When Sean punches, he punches through walls.”

Whoever the newly-minted Republican nominee is, he will face Lt. Governor John Fetterman, a popular Democrat who even as he had a had a pacemaker implanted today after suffering a stroke last week, easily defeated his main rivals, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, in the race for his party’s nomination for the seat.

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