Mehmet Oz’s campaign will spend at least $1 million in Pennsylvania to inform voters of an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
Campaign advisers informed NBC News of the move, which will be the largest ad placement by the celebrity doctor’s campaign since he launched his bid.
The 30-second clip highlights Trump calling Oz “smart, tough, and someone who will never let us down.”
The former president surprised many when he released a lengthy endorsement of the Senate candidate. Oz’s rival, Dave McCormick, has surrounded himself with many former Trump advisers and previously served in a Republican administration.
“This is all about winning elections in order to stop the Radical Left maniacs from destroying our Country. The Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a tremendous opportunity to Save America by electing the brilliant and well-known Dr. Mehmet Oz for the United States Senate. I have known Dr. Oz for many years, as have many others, even if only through his very successful television show. He has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart,” the former president said in the endorsement.
Despite the endorsement, many state and national conservative voices have remained opposed to Oz. The critics have cited his past support for Obamacare and abortion, defending the decision handed down in Roe v. Wade.
“I have enormous respect for President Trump,” former Trump-endorsed candidate Sean Parnell wrote. “I was honored to have his endorsement in PA. Twice[.] But I’m disappointed by this. Oz is the antithesis of everything that made Trump the best president of my lifetime – he’s the farthest thing from America First & he’d be very bad for PA.”
Recent polling, before Trump’s endorsement, showed McCormick in the lead.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dr. Oz and Donald Trump” by Dr. Oz.
