Dr. Mehmet Oz - a celebrity-treating cardiovascular surgeon who rose to fame after appearing on the Oprah Show and later became the host of his own television show, The Dr. Oz Show - announced Tuesday his candidacy to the Senate for the vacancy in the state of Pennsylvania.
Oz, 61, will compete for the Republican Party, in a close election to which he is expected to contribute not only his fame but also some of his vast personal wealth, The Associated Press news agency reports.
The party that wins the Pennsylvania seat will most likely end up controlling the Upper House
next year, as it is currently evenly divided.
[The Senate reaches an agreement on the budget law and avoids the closure of the Government]
Oz joins the extensive list of candidates seeking to win the Republican Party nomination, at a time when the departure of the candidate that Donald Trump backed opens new possibilities for those seeking to seize that segment of the electorate.
In a video message sent on social media, Oz presents himself as a kind of advocate for the people's health, who “stood up to
the
medical
establishment
to fight against the high price of medicines and the rising cost of medical bills. He has also said that he is "prepared" to fight against a government that, according to him, has responded poorly to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Mehmet Oz will compete for a Senate seat next year.Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini / Invision / AP
Above all, Oz is seeking to sympathize with the important core of supporters of former President Trump, invoking, for example, the former president's campaign phrase:
America First.
"As a cardiovascular surgeon, I know how valuable life is,"
says Oz.
"Pennsylvania needs a conservative who puts America first, one who can rekindle our divine spark, fight bravely for freedom and tell it like it is," he adds.
However, Oz faces a significant challenge.
You will have to explain to voters why you are not running for a seat in New Jersey, where you have resided for the past 20 years.
In fact, he began voting in Pennsylvania by absentee ballot just last year, using the address of his in-laws in Philadelphia, according to
The Associated Press.
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Oz, in addition to being a surgeon, has written several
bestsellers,
has
Winner of Emmy Awards for his television show, he has been a radio host, founder of a nonprofit organization that advocates for adolescent health, as well as a public figure in the field of personal health and wellness.
He even helped save a dying man at Newark International Airport last year, according to the cited agency.
He also has a history of good relations with Trump
, who appointed him an adviser to the Presidential Council on sports, exercise and nutrition.
But Oz has been accused of being a charlatan and selling "bogus treatments and cures in order to get rich," according to a group of doctors who called for his expulsion from Columbia University medical school, from which he was not removed. .
