Dr. Oz Is the Right Choice for Pennsylvania
The Keystone State is once again living up to its name.
The race between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz is central to both Democratic and Republican chances of controlling the U.S. Senate. Using 538’s forecast, if Dr. Oz wins the Pennsylvania Senate race, Republicans will win a Senate majority in 73 out of 100 simulations. No other competitive race matches that sort of weight.
Over the summer, many national and in-state pundits counted Oz out. However, despite what these analysts would have you believe, the race is far from over. To jump to that conclusion fails to appreciate the complexity of Pennsylvania and the issues on the minds of voters. As someone who has worked on races across the state since 2008, including managing Sen. Pat Toomey’s 2016 reelection campaign, I can tell you that Pennsylvania is no easy win for Republicans. I can also tell you that Democrat John Fetterman is out of step with the state on a wide-ranging set of issues, from crime to energy and even to transparency about his own health. The Democrats could not have nominated a more flawed statewide candidate.
Crime has been a hot topic in many cities across the country. Pennsylvania is no different. In Philadelphia, violence has gone unchecked for years, and the city is on track to log a record number of murders for the second year in a row. As Lt. Governor, Fetterman has ignored the problems plaguing the city; he even endorsed the highly controversial district attorney, Larry Krasner, for reelection. Fetterman’s priority as chairman of the Board of Pardons has been “trying to get as many folks out as we can.” He’s even advocated for releasing violent felons from prison and said, “I’ve made getting them out of prison … the most critical thing I’ll ever do.”
Philadelphia’s suburbs – crucial for any statewide candidate to win – have watched the city become crime-ridden. Those visiting or working in the city have concerns. They see the stories on local news. They hear them from friends and neighbors. Philadelphia’s crime epidemic reverberates statewide.
Those same suburban families feel the effects of Joe Biden’s and John Fetterman’s war on American energy. Fetterman wants to ban fracking, which puts him out of step with those who rely on Pennsylvania’s energy economy to support their families and heat their homes – 51% of families in Pennsylvania rely on natural gas for heat. The less energy Americans produce here at home, the more we rely on foreign countries that don’t like us. Voters deserve to know why Fetterman would rubber-stamp these job-killing policies.
To top it off, Fetterman can’t even be trusted about his health issues. For a man who prides himself on being plainspoken (despite his privileged upbringing), he’s been anything but transparent about the health challenges he currently faces.
Pennsylvanians deserve to know the truth about Fetterman before they elect him to a six-year term as their senator. As the Washington Post Editorial Board put it, “the Fetterman campaign squandered credibility by concealing from the public for two days after his stroke that he had been hospitalized.” And recently, Reuters reported that Democratic insiders are beginning to fear Fetterman’s approach to his health issues is harming his candidacy.
Compare all of this to Oz, who has taken a path less traveled for a Senate candidate. He has lived the American Dream. The son of immigrants, he became a successful surgeon and started a television show known from coast to coast. He’s no career politician.
Oz would provide the check and balance Pennsylvanians need to push back on the Biden administration’s disastrous fiscal and energy policies. Throughout his campaign, Oz has shown up in every corner of the state. He’s met with small business owners, toured factories, and even gone to oil rigs to speak with workers. Oz has committed himself to stand up for Pennsylvania and for American energy. He knows that energy is not only part of our economy here in Pennsylvania but is also essential to our national security.
Oz has also spent time in the toughest parts of Philadelphia, meeting with community leaders and learning firsthand the problems they face. It’s this sort of effort and outreach that helped Oz earn the endorsement of the State Fraternal Order of Police. The cops that put their lives on the line day in and day out know that Oz will have their back.
As Election Day nears, the choice will become clear: John Fetterman and his radical beliefs, or Mehmet Oz, the atypical candidate offering a new perspective to Washington, D.C. – a town that many think is broken. I bet Oz wins the argument, and the people of Pennsylvania will be better off for it.
Peter Towey is a Republican strategist, and currently a vice president at Targeted Victory, a Republican digital and marketing firm. He has spent the last 14 years working on campaigns at the state and presidential levels and for national committees. His experience includes multiple statewide and local Pennsylvania campaigns. He managed Sen. Pat Toomey’s 2016 re-election campaign. Follow him on Twitter at @petermtowey.
