Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor turned Republican politician insisted that the people of Pennsylvania “do not care where you’re from” as he faces criticism for running for U.S Senate in a state he does not actually live in.
Oz’s comments come as his Democratic rival John Fetterman continues to portray him as a carpetbagger from New Jersey out of touch with the average voter in Pennsylvania.
[ Cook Political Report shifts Pennsylvania Senate race to ‘lean Democrat’]
At a campaign stop on Friday, Oz told reporters: “Pennsylvanians do not care where you’re from, they care what you stand for.”
“But if you’re curious my father as an immigrant came and settled us just south of Philadelphia. I went to med school and business school in Philadelphia, met and married my wife,” he said, according to Newsweek. “The world that I see is very much based on Pennsylvania values.”
Oz made a similar argument in an interview with WGAL News last month.
“The average Pennsylvanian is not concerned about residence,” he said at the time. “They’re really worried about inflation and energy prices and the crime that they’re witnessing in their cities. Those are issues they’re going to vote on in November.”
That argument does not appear to be resonating with voters. The most recent poll from the state shows Fetterman leading Oz by 18 points, 51%–33%. The FiveThirtyEight average of polls has Fetterman with a nearly 12 point lead over Oz.
