In the Pennsylvania Republican US Senate midterm primary, Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the celebrity Dr. Oz. Trump believes this heart surgeon turned TV star who has a national presence will be a winner with all Republican voters.
Political bettors may see similarities with Trump’s path into politics, but Oz is no Trump. He claims to be conservative, but many hard-right voters are yet to be convinced. We examine if Dr. Oz has a broad enough appeal to attract votes from all sides of the Republican party.
Who Is Dr. Oz?
Mehmet Oz was born in 1960 in Cleveland Ohio to Turkish parents. His father studied medicine and became a chief surgeon. The family were practicing Muslims and spent summer vacations in Turkey. Oz studied biology at Harvard University and obtained a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration.
In 1985, Oz began his medical career in New York City. Ten years later, he and Jerry Whitworth set up the Cardiac Complementary Care Center, a non-contact energy therapy that promotes healing and reduces pain and anxiety in patients.
In 1996, Dr. Oz went from being a heart surgeon to a household name as reporters surrounded him because he performed a heart transplant for Frank Torre, brother of New York Yankees manager Joe Torre. Following the attention, Dr. Oz saw an opportunity to use the media circus to promote healthcare. He said about the TV coverage: “I began to realize that this was a wonderful medium to get the word out.”
Dr. Oz went on to become a professor at Columbia University, and with the help of his producer wife, developed a TV series on health for the Discovery Channel and was introduced to Oprah Winfrey.
Dr. Oz: The TV Star
The Oprah Winfrey Show was an American daytime program that aired nationally for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011. It remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history. Dr. Oz appeared as a health expert on the show for five seasons, before he launched his own daily show that covered health and medical matters – The Dr. Oz Show.
In January 2022, the show ended because Dr. Mehmet Oz entered the Republican primary for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Over a decade on, his desire to “get the word out” on TV still applies.
The Trump Endorsement
Trump has endorsed Dr. Oz in the US Senate midterm primary election because he believes, as was the case with himself, that Dr. Oz’s presence in Americans’ living rooms would make him electable. In 2016 when running for president, Donald Trump appeared on The Dr. Oz Show – perhaps now he sees a mirror of his own political past.
He has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart
Trump said: “This is all about winning elections in order to stop the Radical Left maniacs from destroying our Country,” and went on to praise his friend: “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, as have many others, even if only through his very successful television show. He has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart.”
With the guaranteed votes of Trump’s loyal supporters, Dr. Oz may have increased his chances of becoming the Republican nominee. However, before betting on the TV celebrity, beware that ideological hardliners might have other ideas for this celebrity candidate.
GOP Frustration
Frustration is mounting on the Republican conservative right over Trump’s endorsement because of Dr. Oz’s past policy positions.
Although Trump justifies his support for the TV celebrity, saying: “Dr. Oz is Pro-Life, very strong on Crime, the Border, Election Fraud, our Great Military, and our Vets, Tax Cuts, and will always fight for and support our under-siege Second Amendment. He will ensure America will become Energy Independent again. Dr. Oz also passionately believes in high-quality education and protecting parent involvement throughout the process.”
The hardliners quote Dr. Oz’s positive view of Obamacare and his belief that government should provide health care coverage to Americans who cannot afford it, which is a policy the GOP has always stood against.
Regarding guns, Dr. Oz said that law enforcement should take firearms from people they deem dangerous. An unusual stance for a Republican candidate given GOP’s support for the National Rifle Association. And at a time when Republican states across the US are attacking abortion rights, Dr. Oz had expressed support for Roe v. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationally.
Trump wisely endorsed me because I’m a conservative….
Upon announcing the former president’s support, Dr. Oz said: “Trump wisely endorsed me because I’m a conservative who will stand up to Joe Biden and the woke left.”
Dr. Oz is now distancing himself from previous policy positions, as Trump’s endorsement will not automatically deliver the party nomination. However, if Dr. Oz pulls this off, expect Vegas oddsmakers to slash Trump’s betting odds of winning the 2024 presidency.
The Rival Candidates
Dr. Oz will face fierce opposition in the Republican Pennsylvanian primaries. His main rival David McCormick, an establishment Republican, regards Dr. Oz as: “a complete and total fraud” and that: “Voters can’t trust Mehmet Oz,” and concluded: “They want to trust what you are saying is a value you hold and not something you say just to win.”
Trump is betting on Dr. Oz being more electable than McCormick, but with just weeks to go before the May 17 election, he is behind in the polls by 17.6% to 21.8%.
Medic, TV Star, Washington?
With a boost from Trump, TV celebrity Dr. Oz is moving into the world of politics. He sees similarities between Trump’s move from the small screen to Washington and his own ambitions.
In his endorsement of Dr. Oz, does Donald Trump see a bigger picture beyond the conservative hardliners, to a candidate who might attract swing voters in the general election from both Republicans and Democrats in this battleground state?
If Trump’s gamble fails, a defeat will signal a vulnerability in the former president as a winner. Republicans may doubt his decisions and look for an alternative voice in the 2024 presidential election.
Philip Carlson is a gambling industry analyst based in NYC. He covers political global political betting markets and sports-betting for Vegas-odds.com
