A little over a week out from Pennsylvania’s midterm primaries, the Trump-endorsed celebrity Dr. Oz cannot be feeling thrilled about the weekend’s events. Locked in a tight primary race with former hedge fund CEO and George W. Bush administration veteran David McCormick, Oz’s name was repeatedly boo’d by his own constituents at a Western PA campaign rally this past Friday, despite that former President Trump himself was there to speak on Oz’s behalf.
According to Business Insider, “Twice when a prerecorded message from Oz went on the jumbotron at the rally, a substantial portion of the crowd, of roughly several thousand, booed.
Attendees also booed Oz’s name when an introductory speaker mentioned endorsing him early on, and again when Trump-endorsed Ohio primary winner JD Vance offered his support.”
Current polling in the race has Oz at 18% support among Republicans, just ahead of McCormick at 16%, while an astounding 39% report being undecided. For contrast, on the Democratic side, Lt. Governor John Fetterman is polling at 53% ahead of challenger Connor Lamb’s 14%.
Primaries in PA next Tuesday include the race for Senate, as well as the Governor’s race. In neither is there an incumbent on the ballot, as the Senate race is for retiring Senator Pat Toomey’s open seat, while Governor Tom Wolf is term limited and cannot seek re-election.
Friday’s rally featured speeches not only from the Former President, but also Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance, during whose remarks Oz’s name was also boo’d.
According to The New York Times, “The skepticism of the Trump faithful toward Dr. Oz was palpable at the Pennsylvania rally. When Guy Reschenthaler, the Republican congressman who represents Greensburg, announced his own endorsement of Dr. Oz, a large segment of the crowd booed. When an ad for Dr. Oz that attacked Mr. McCormick was played earlier in the event, there were more boos.
Out of 20 rally attendees asked for their opinions on Dr. Oz, two said they supported him. The rest were nearly evenly divided between disliking him and saying they knew little about his candidacy.”