Many conservatives were taken aback by former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz, best known as the host of TV’s “Dr. Oz Show,” in Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate primary. The celebrity heart surgeon has flip-flopped on abortion and, although he claims to be pro-Second Amendment, he has expressed support for red-flag laws. In short, a large number of Republicans voters don’t consider Oz to be truly conservative.
Early Monday afternoon, he posted the following tweet:
Mask mandates have not made us any safer. Why does the federal government keep ignoring the science and extending the mandates?
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) April 18, 2022
The majority of Republicans and a large swath of independents would agree with that sentiment.
Unfortunately for Oz, two hours later, the frontrunner in the race, former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick, posted a devastating collection of clips of the Turkish American doctor urging Americans to wear masks.
It contains over a dozen snippets of Oz telling Americans to mask up. Toward the end, he even recommends that people wear two masks. He actually sounds a lot like Dr. Fauci, whom many Americans have come to hate. The optics for a conservative candidate could hardly be worse.
Mehmet Oz will read whatever script is put in front of him. There was no greater supporter of mask mandates than Oz. https://t.co/zBxZ0VXfTR pic.twitter.com/5fwKz1Blcz
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) April 18, 2022
I am one of Trump’s most rabid supporters, but frankly, his support of this candidate baffles me.
Two sources familiar with deliberations inside Trump’s inner circle told Reuters this endorsement has “divided local Republican Party officials and stunned close advisers who thought he had decided to stay out of the contest.”
According to the sources, Trump’s closest advisers strongest have recommended he steer clear of making endorsements in the Republican primaries – particularly in this race. Advisers pointed out that both Oz and McCormick have “enthusiastically adopted the former president’s America First agenda” and McCormick has many of Trump’s former aides working on his campaign.
At a March meeting, Trump told the group he had put the decision on hold.
“It’s not like he was knocking out a never-Trumper,” one source said.
But, in the end, Trump “went with his gut.”
A third source told Reuters that Melania Trump had been behind the Oz endorsement.
At any rate, the report said the endorsement has left Pennsylvania Republicans “confused and riled.”
Mark Hrutkay, the vice chairman of the Republican Party in Washington County in western Pennsylvania, told Reuters he’s been inundated with calls from unhappy voters.
“I have not had one call from a voter who supported the endorsement. They are pissed off,” Hrutkay said. “This doesn’t mean they are abandoning Trump, because they’re not. They just don’t understand the endorsement.”
Sam DeMarco, the Chairman of the Republican Caucus of Allegheny County Council, told Reuters he’d been surprised by the news, but he doesn’t believe it will have a significant influence on the race. DeMarco said, “Voters have a lot of questions about Oz’s conservative credentials on issues like guns and abortion. I am not quite sure why (Trump) decided to endorse at this point in the race. He’s putting his credibility on the line.”
Muhlenberg University political science professor Chris Borick sees the decision to back Oz as risky and said that Trump’s “goal in the end is to look good and there’s a good chance he won’t when the race is over.”
Others like Lee Snover, the Republican Party Chair in Northampton County, feel the uproar is much ado about nothing. “People are becoming unhinged. Oz is a great candidate,” he told Reuters. “I got the same treatment when I backed Trump and people criticized me. They were wrong then and they are wrong about Oz.”
I am honored to receive President Trump’s full support and endorsement, and I thank him for that. President Trump knows how critical it is to change the kinds of people we send to Washington. I’m ready to bring an America First agenda to the Senate for Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/7gmhZupinr
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) April 10, 2022
McCormick has held onto a single digit lead over the famed TV doctor since polling began in this primary in December. The current Real Clear Politics average of polls shows McCormick up by 4.2 percent.
The single poll taken since Trump’s highly-coveted April 9 endorsement shows Oz with a three point lead over McCormick. Although this survey was conducted by The Trafalgar Group, a Republican pollster with a highly reliable track record, it should be noted that previous results from this polling group have been outliers. In mid-December and again in early February, Trafalgar had Oz up 11 points while all other pollsters showed McCormick leading the pack.
We’ll get a better idea of the impact of Trump’s endorsement as more pollsters weigh in.
The importance of this race cannot be overstated. Each November Senate race will be critical as Republicans fight to win back the majority. With a current 50-50 split, the result of just one race could determine which party controls the Senate.
In the end, Snover’s assessment is probably right. Trump’s endorsement of Oz won’t make much of a difference in the primary.
It’s more a reflection of Trump’s judgment which, as much as we love him, is not infallible (clearly). The Oz endorsement was a huge demonstration of that fallibility.
A previous version of this article was published on The Western Journal.
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Dr. Oz is a poser & I would NEVER vote for him.
I don’t know if Oz is the right candidate or not, there are plenty of others running in this primary race. I would imagine one or more of them are conservatives. I do, however, suspect that McCormick is a rich RINO running as a conservative at election time. Not great choices in PA, I’m afraid. Remember, Pat Toomey was a conservative and president of Club for Growth before he became Senator and a RINO.