Source: Politics<\/p>\n
In the race for Donald Trump\u2019s coveted endorsement in Pennsylvania\u2019s Senate GOP primary, it looks like Dr. Mehmet Oz has the edge.<\/p>\n
The former president is leaning toward endorsing Oz, said three people familiar with Trump\u2019s thinking, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Trump said recently that he is nearing a decision on whether to weigh in on the race, which is a key contest in the battle for the Senate majority this fall.<\/p>\n
With Trump, though, nothing is final until it\u2019s final \u2014 and it\u2019s possible he\u2019ll decide to issue no endorsement. He has recently met with both Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick in Mar-a-Lago and talked with multiple people about the GOP primary.<\/p>\n
McCormick and Oz, as well as their allies, have been locked in a battle for months over Trump\u2019s nod. With his loyal base and unparalleled popularity among Republican voters, Trump could have a significant impact on the contest. If he picks a favorite, their success or lack thereof will also be closely watched as a test of his own hold on the party ahead of the 2024 presidential election, particularly since some of his candidates have faced challenges this year.<\/p>\n
In Pennsylvania, Trump initially endorsed Sean Parnell for the Senate seat before Parnell dropped out amid claims of abuse from his estranged wife.<\/p>\n
The choice between Oz and McCormick is even more fraught for the former president because Trumpworld is divided over the two front-running candidates. Some of Trump’s allies have strong opinions on the primary in Pennsylvania, meaning he risks upsetting friends no matter what he decides.<\/p>\n
Jim Worthington, a Pennsylvania Republican appointed by Trump to the President\u2019s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, along with Oz, said he has spoken with Trump about Oz on several occasions, including most recently Sunday afternoon at Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked away very, very pleased in regard to his feelings about Oz and what type of guy he was and what type of senator he would be,\u201d Worthington said, declining to elaborate on more \u201cspecific details of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
During their 15-minute chat in the resort lobby, Trump asked Worthington questions about the Senate race, which Worthington said seemed to be Trump \u201cmore or less confirming what he had already thought or knew\u201d about the contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you the president is definitely fond of Oz, for sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Oz and his wife, Lisa, had dinner with the former president and Melania Trump on March 16, a meal at Mar-a-Lago that lasted several hours, according to a person aware of the meeting.<\/p>\n
Three days later, while speaking to an American Freedom Tour crowd in Ft. Lauderdale, Trump brought up the Pennsylvania Senate race and mentioned the celebrity television doctor.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anybody like Dr. Oz?\u201d Trump asked the crowd gathered in Florida, receiving cheers and applause.<\/p>\n
But other Trump allies are using their platforms to criticize Oz.<\/p>\n
Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist to Trump, ripped into Oz on his podcast recently: “How does Dr. Oz, probably the most anti-MAGA guy, and you got Fox nonstop pimping this guy out and Newsmax pimping this guy out, and that’s what it is \u2014 how does Dr. Oz, from New Jersey, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s buddy, floating in from Jersey, how does he become a factor in a Senate race in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania?”<\/p>\n
Jack Posobiec, a far-right personality who was a guest on Bannon’s show at the time, responded: “This guy wasn’t around in 2020, and he certainly wasn’t around in 2016. But suddenly he found his road to Damascus conversion, and he’s been this conservative in hiding the entire time? Wow, that’s news I think to everybody else in the entire movement.”<\/p>\n
As host of \u201cThe Dr. Oz Show,\u201d Oz in 2016 had then-candidate Trump onto his program to conduct a health check-up, a decision criticized by some as a political stunt and a favor to Trump, who received a mostly positive report.<\/p>\n
McCormick and Trump met at Mar-a-Lago this past week for an hour, and had a \u201cvery productive\u201d meeting that touched on his fundraising, polling and ads, according to a person familiar with their talk. Rob Gleason, a McCormick supporter and former chair of Pennsylvania\u2019s Republican Party, also met recently with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, a source said.<\/p>\n
Dina Powell, McCormick’s wife, served as Trump’s deputy national security adviser. McCormick also hired former Trump White House staffers Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller, and ex-Trump campaign adviser David Urban and Trump White House lawyer Jim Schultz helped McCormick launch his Senate bid.<\/p>\n
On Oz’s side are Fox News host Sean Hannity and casino mogul Steve Wynn, who have both actively lobbied for Trump to endorse the celebrity doctor, according to people familiar with their efforts. And, perhaps most notably, Melania Trump is a supporter of Oz in the Senate race.<\/p>\n
A person close to Trump, discussing the former president\u2019s thinking on the Pennsylvania endorsement, noted a phrase that Trump has often repeated when talking about Oz: \u201cHe\u2019s been on TV in people\u2019s bedrooms and living rooms for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump at times has used a variation of that phrase, emphasizing in conversations that Oz has \u201cbeen in women\u2019s bedrooms\u201d for years as they watched his daytime television program, something Trump believes would help Oz win suburban voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a certain level of trust usually associated with that,\u201d the person said of Oz\u2019s TV career. \u201cSomething the president understands intimately because it was key to his rise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melania Trump\u2019s support for Oz \u201creinforces that belief and the value of those intangibles\u201d that a celebrity like Oz has, despite McCormick \u201cin some ways being the more impressive candidate,\u201d according to the person.<\/p>\n
Conservative commentator John Fredericks, a Trump friend who served as his Virginia campaign chair in 2016 and 2020, had the former president on his radio show Wednesday. Fredericks, who met Oz at CPAC in February and just endorsed him, opened the interview with a question about whether Oz is a \u201cMAGA candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a good man, too,\u201d Trump said, describing his positive experience appearing on Oz\u2019s television show for a health check-up during the 2016 election.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a high-quality guy, he is,\u201d Trump continued. \u201cI\u2019ll be making a decision on that one.\u201d Trump said a decision would come \u201cmaybe fairly soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview, Fredericks declined to provide details on any private conversations he had with Trump ahead of their talk. He said he expected Trump to make a decision within the next week or two.<\/p>\n
Fredericks said that Trump\u2019s endorsement decision would be based on \u201cwhat\u2019s best for the country\u201d and which candidate was most closely aligned with \u201cAmerica First policies,\u201d before ripping into McCormick for his work as a hedge fund executive and his ties to the George W. Bush administration. McCormick served as under secretary in Bush\u2019s Department of Treasury.<\/p>\n
Not everyone who has discussed Pennsylvania with Trump is convinced Oz has it in the bag. A McCormick supporter who talked with Trump recently said they would be \u201csurprised\u201d if Trump endorsed Oz.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s understandable that Trump views Oz\u2019s name ID and celebrity status as positive attributes since he launched his 2016 presidential campaign in the same way,\u201d added a former Trump campaign aide. \u201cHowever, the major difference is that no candidate, especially one like Oz with an extensive anti-MAGA track record, will be able to galvanize grassroots voters like Trump has done in epic fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s continued popularity across Pennsylvania is undeniable, and Dave is proud to be aligned with his America First agenda,\u201d said McCormick spokesperson Jess Szymanski.<\/p>\n
With the primary contest still unsettled, any decision by Trump to endorse is a potential risk.<\/p>\n
While Oz started the primary with a clear lead and officially announced his candidacy a month and a half ahead of McCormick, several surveys show the dynamics of the race have since changed.<\/p>\n
An early March Fox News poll had McCormick winning 24 percent and Oz at 15 percent, but another recent poll found a dead heat.<\/p>\n
Jim McLaughlin, McCormick\u2019s pollster, said the campaign\u2019s latest internal poll found the former business executive at about 25 percent and Oz at 14 percent. He also said Oz has an unfavorable rating of 51 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepublican primary voters in Pennsylvania have totally seen through him. They understand he\u2019s not a Pennsylvania conservative,\u201d he said. \u201cYou ask them, \u2018What do you know about Mehmet Oz?\u2019 They\u2019re telling you he\u2019s a Hollywood liberal.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Oz\u2019s campaign released an internal poll showing a different result, with him at 24.8 percent and McCormick at 21.6.<\/p>\n
Other candidates in the Republican primary include Carla Sands, a former ambassador under Trump; Kathy Barnette, a conservative commentator; and Jeff Bartos, a real estate developer.<\/p>\n