(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Votes were still being recounted in Pennsylvania Friday, in a U.S. Senate GOP primary that had been too close to call, when David McCormick conceded the race to celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.
McCormick acknowledged that even with some votes still being tallied in a statewide recount, its results wouldn’t give him the numbers to overcome his shortfall.
“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 statement.
The Trump-endorsed Oz becomes the first Muslim for either major party to be nominated for a U.S. Senate seat.
Oz is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Turkey. He still holds his Turkish citizenship, but said he has never participated in that country’s political process, reported the Daily Caller.
That became a hot-button issue during a contentious campaign, which saw Oz criticized for his left-leaning views on everything from guns and abortion to transgenderism and Big Pharma.
Those seemed to fade Friday.
“We share the goal of a brighter future for Pennsylvania and America,” Oz said in his statement.
“Now that our primary is over, we will make sure that this U.S. Senate seat does not fall into the hands of the radical left, led by John Fetterman,” he said of his Democrat opponent.
McCormick shared that focus.
“It’s now clear to me, with the recount largely complete, that we have a nominee,” McCormick said.
“And today, I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory, and I told him what I always said to you, that I will do my part to try to unite Republicans and Pennsylvanians behind his candidacy, behind his nomination for the Senate,” he said.
Pennsylvania GOP Senate Candidate Dave McCormick concedes to Dr. Mehmet Oz amid recount effort, slim vote margin. pic.twitter.com/N9jbI2vXPM
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 3, 2022
Fetterman easily won his Democrat primary, despite having suffered a stroke, which raised uneasy concerns and questions about his health.
Fetterman provided some clarification Friday, when he released a letter from his doctor who said he diagnosed Fetterman with atrial fibrillation and decreased heart pump in 2017.
John Fetterman, who has been criticized for not providing more details about his health following his stroke, releases a letter from his doc saying he was first diagnosed in 2017 with an irregular heart rhythm. Said he ignored doctor’s advice for five years until he had a stroke pic.twitter.com/1LpZ1J214S
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 3, 2022
For five years, essentially, Fetterman had kept the diagnosis a dark secret and failed to do anything to address his health issues.
So he’s a Democrat with a truly, honestly corrupt heart.
“It is so important for Pennsylvanians, so important that we beat John Fetterman,” McCormick said.
