According to a new GOP poll, Dr. Mehmet Oz is in decline, having earned the endorsement of former President Donald Trump for his primary-race endorsement.
Republican-affiliated Public Opinion Strategies reports that surgeon-turned-TV-host Dr. Oz trails Democrat John Fetterman by nearly 20 points.
New poll conducted by GOP firm Public Opinion Strategies for Pittsburgh Works Together shows big leads for Dems in the PA Senate and governors races. Fetterman up 18 points over Oz; Shapiro up 15 points over Mastriano pic.twitter.com/K3lo8YME03
— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) August 16, 2022
Dr. Oz Trails Fetterman from 18
Trump gave Oz his “complete endorsement” prior to the open GOP primary of six candidates. This was a move that likely sealed the deal with Pennsylvania Republicans.
The doc was victorious in a squeaker and barely beat second-place finisher David McCormick by 31.2% to 31.1%.
The former president praised Oz for his positions on abortion, crime, and the Second Amendment. He also praised the military, education, energy independence, election fraud, and border security. These are all great points, but before anyone endorses Trump, they must first determine if the recipient is likely to win.
That’s Dr. Oz’s case right now.
Let’s face facts: He is not a good choice for the job.
Oz lost his primary win and went AWOL.
Although Fetterman was actually incapacitated from a stroke, the doctor missed a great opportunity to distinguish himself and his opponent.
Recent reports suggest that Oz may not have used the time when Fetterman was out of commission, which is a significant period of time in a race that could have been crucial to party control of the Senate.
Puck reports that Oz was last seen in Palm Beach, Florida on June 9, at the most. He did not hold his first post-primary event until June 10, according to Puck. Oz was also reported to have traveled to Ireland at the end of June to see his family but did not return until July.
I’ve reminded if anything, of Summer 1988, when Democratic presidential nominee Mike Dukakis took a break from campaigning — time that George H.W. Bush used this time to label Dukakis too liberal and soft on crime.
Trump is apparently frustrated by the campaign of Oprah’s former regular:
Puck is told by sources that Donald Trump, who supported Oz and enraged his base, is now complaining about his poor performance to Sean Hannity, Fox News’s bud. Hannity was the one that convinced Trump to endorse him. Add in the fact Hannity has not had Trump on Hannity’s show since April and you can see why he is hopping mad.
All “sources tell” reports should be taken with a grain. But Oz is in such dire straits that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has canceled $5 million worth of TV advertising and will redirect it to more winning races.
It doesn’t always work when Oz tries to connect with Pennsylvania voters.
This clip was mocked by Oz’s “It’s one banana Michael, what could that cost, 10 bucks?” moment.
Oz admits to being exhausted when he recorded the video.
In the 24 hours following the video’s release, Fetterman raised half a million dollars in campaign contributions.
Joe Calvello (Ferderman’s communications director) said that the spike in donations between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon was “well beyond” the average rate. He spoke to CNBC Wednesday.
Even if Oz does win, you get the feeling that the conservative-come-lately might be another Mitt Romney, but lacking the warm, common touch that’s made Mitt a favorite on both sides of the aisle.
(Wipe away any excess sarcasm from your screen).
Perhaps I am wrong.
Perhaps Trump endorsed the best candidate in Pennsylvania because the GOP field was so weak.
Perhaps Dr. Oz will get on board with the campaign and win. His energy campaign positions are closer to Pennsylvanians than Fetterman.
Perhaps the Keystone State is not the right place for the GOP to get a Senate majority.
Pennsylvania is not winnable even with a stronger Republican nominee.
Perhaps the Senate is not up for grabs this year. As Stephen Kruiser, my friend and colleague, I was skeptical that the Republicans would win the Senate this year. That is until Biden DOJ’s mar-a-Lago raid.
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 convincingly, and we will probably never know the extent of 2020’s election night shenanigans there. The GOP could win Pennsylvania’s open seat if it has a stronger candidate.
There are also two other Senate endorsements Trump has received — J.D. Vance in Ohio, and Hershel Walk in Georgia. Both these races should be close to shoo-ins but both Trump-endorsed candidates have been struggling.
Although I’m not sure what is wrong with Donald’s endorsement radar, it seems to be giving false returns.
