Hundreds of people packed the restored barn of Ironstone Ranch at Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown Wednesday night to hear heart surgeon turned TV personality and now Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz give one of his final public pitches to voters.
In a short 10-minute speech, Oz laid out his agenda to the audience that included local and state politicians as well as a gaggle of national media, calling for “less extremism” and “more balance in Washington.”
Oz, who won the May primary over businessman David McCormick by less than 1,000 votes, said he’s been listening to the stories of Pennsylvania voters for more than a year and that he gets “pretty optimistic” hearing that most people in the state want to see government get out of their way to bring prosperity.
But it’s the concerns of voters Oz hears that he said keep him motivated in his neck-and-neck run against Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. Oz said he’s heard many stories from seniors who are afraid their Social Security check won’t be enough to cover the 40-year high inflation rates and young couples that can’t afford to buy their first home because of growing interest rates.
Oz said he’s even heard stories from parents who have bought video games for their children to keep them indoors “because they didn’t think they were safe outside” from rising crime rates. He also spoke about families impacted by the fentanyl crisis in the state.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Oz said. “We control what we do next, and we have the opportunity in six days to send a very clear message about what we want and to put people in position that deliver on that promise to you.”
Oz, who came to prominence through his connections to Oprah Winfrey and his successful daytime TV program “The Dr. Oz Show” emphasized that he’s not a career politician and is instead a surgeon at his core. He said surgeons “focus on something really important” and unite to fix a problem while in an operating room, wishing to take an attitude of cooperation to Washington, D.C. as a senator.
“I want to go to Washington to bring balance, stop the partisan bickering and deal with the problems that you guys have been telling me about the last year,” Oz said. “That’s what I pledge to do, and there’s so much that can make that happen.”
Oz made comparisons between himself and Fetterman, saying the Democrat politician takes “extreme positions” on issues like crime and the economy. Oz said he focused his own campaign on three “kitchen table issues” important to Pennsylvanians.
The first issue is the economy, Oz said, indicating that the state of the national economy is “self-inflicted” wounds from the Biden administration and Democrats. Oz said the local solution to solving economic woes is “right beneath our feet” in oil, gas and coal exploration to “unleash energy in Pennsylvania.”
Oz said a strong Pennsylvania energy sector can strengthen the U.S. energy sector while also helping European allies facing a severe energy shortage this winter.
“All of this, which will allow Pennsylvania to function at full speed, is ours to offer,” Oz said.
The second big issue Oz is focused on is crime, saying police officers are being “disrespected” by the public and politicians, which is keeping qualified people from serving in their communities.
Oz said he pushed Fetterman at their Oct. 25 debate on his “radical positions” on crime and prison reform. Fetterman has been criticized in his role on the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, voting for dozens of commutations for prisoners serving life sentences.
“He had trouble because it’s difficult to explain in a time when so many Pennsylvanians are having their lives turned upside down – cities like Philadelphia that have the highest homicide rates ever,” Oz said. “And areas like Lancaster, which are relatively preserved, are still suffering from deaths from fentanyl that are unheard of.”
Oz said his third issue is that the U.S. government has a “covenant” to secure the borders of the country, especially with record levels of fentanyl and other deadly drugs pouring across from Mexico. He said “every state is a border state” because of the fentanyl crisis.
While he said he’s the son of “proud immigrants” who came from Turkey and allowed him to “live the American dream,” Oz said the immigration process needs to be reformed in the U.S. while keeping the border secure.
“I believe that we have opportunities unparalleled in this nation,” Oz said. “For us to continue to be that beacon of hope for the world, let’s deal with the things right in front of our eyes here to ensure they don’t affect the nation we need to be – the ability for us to prosper.”
Support for Oz
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and candidate for the Pennsylvania Senate seat Carla Sands, spoke at the Wednesday night rally, calling Oz a “gentleman” on the campaign trail.
Sands told one story about her father having triple bypass surgery while she was campaigning for the Senate seat. Sands said Oz went out of his way to ask her how her father was recovering after his surgery.
When another Senate candidate ended up needing to have surgery during the primary season, Sands said, Oz examined him to make sure he was okay and thought there may be something wrong at a campaign stop. When the candidate said he had a two-hour drive to get home after the campaign event, Oz volunteered to have one of his own campaign team drive the candidate home.
Sands also emphasized Oz’s intelligence and aptitude for the Senate seat, pointing out that he received a medical degree and a business degree at the same time while studying at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Character matters, and you’re about to elect a really fine man,” Sands said. “His dad grew up in a dirt floor home. He’s self-made. John Fetterman lived off his parents until he was 49 years old, and now he lives off of every one of us in this room.”
Lancaster County Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who introduced Oz, said the country is currently in a “code red situation” and that a doctor is in the best position to help fix things. Smucker highlighted rising gas and food prices and a “war on domestic energy” by Democrats.
“It’s a choice between an America built on freedom or an America that we can’t afford,” Smucker said.
Sen. Ryan Aument (R-36, Lancaster) said he’s had the opportunity for the last four years to see how Fetterman operates as the lieutenant governor presiding over the Pennsylvania Senate. Aument said the contrast between Fetterman and Oz “could not be more clear,” pointing to their stances on crime and the economy.
“Do you believe for a minute that John Fetterman has the prescription for inflation?” Aument said. “John Fetterman would have us spend more, while Dr. Oz would put us on the path to growth and opportunity.”
Staff writer Michael Yoder is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several Keystone Press Awards for his investigative pieces.
