Senate Candidate Mehmet Oz Stops In Lower Bucks County

Dr. Mehmet Oz speaking at his campaign event.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

The TV medical show host turned Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania made a stop in Lower Bucks County Sunday.

Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, held a campaign stop at the Newtown Athletic Club in Newtown Township as part of his “The Doctor Is In” tour.

Oz, who said he lives with his wife in Montgomery County, touched on a number of key election issues. He said he would focus on fighting inflation, combating China’s growing influence, reducing gas prices, supporting the Second Amendment, fighting social media companies, protecting the life of the unborn, and cutting regulations where needed.

The surgeon said he feels officials in Washington D.C. are “messing it up,” but it wasn’t purposely. He opined that Democrats in power are getting it wrong because they are in over their heads.

Oz told the crowd how he went from being a surgeon to a TV show host. He said his turn to candidate for Senate came because of how much he cares about America and Pennsylvania.

He assured the crowd his former employer, Oprah, will stay out of the election and let Pennsylvania voters decide.

Speaking of big pharma, Oz told the crowd of times when he fought them, but also has earned their respect.

He said big companies had tried to stifle his show due to his crusades on certain issues, including reducing the levels of arsenic in apple juice. However, he said, they couldn’t stop him because he owned his show and couldn’t be swayed.

“I can’t be bought,” he said.

Oz spoke of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the one-size-fits-all approach to the pandemic didn’t work, masks didn’t need to be worn in most cases outside, and closing schools for so long was the wrong move.

One audience member asked Oz whether remdesivir, a treatment for some seriously ill COVID-19 patients, is actually killing them.

The doctor responded that it is more likely those people were already extremely ill and remdesivir was given in an effort to save their life, adding more study of other treatments should be allowed.

The doctor said he was committed to funding a study on whether hydroxychloroquine was an effective COVID-19 treatment but couldn’t get it started. He said he still doesn’t know if the drug works in treating COVID-19.

Talking directly to the audience, Oz said he is for the COVID-19 vaccines and urged people to get them.

“I’m supportive of the vaccines,” he said.

He noted that he doesn’t support mandates that require citizens to get vaccinated.

Moving on from COVID-19, Oz said he supports school choice, adding teachers’ unions have significant influence on government due to their support of Democratic candidates.

While some Republican opponents have run ads framing Oz as pro-choice, he told the crowd he is pro-life and believes a baby’s life begins at conception.

Oz said he is pro-Second Amendment, but believes in some Red Flag-style laws to evaluate whether people with certain mental health issues should be armed. However, he is against any national registry of Red Flag reports.

“I’ve got a lot of guns and I know how to use them,” Oz told the crowd.

One member of the audience asked Oz how he felt about regulating social media and free speech through the media.

In response, Oz noted he supports reviewing Section 230 protections for social media companies, but he fully supported a free press and wouldn’t support regulation on First Amendment rights for news publishers. He further added that he has learned new information from reporting on him, including stories that he felt depicted him negatively.

Oz told the crowd he supports local media, as they help get important information to residents. He stated social media companies have weakened those outlets.

Oz is among numerous candidates on the Republican side running in the GOP primary.

Oz has hit the airwaves in Pennsylvania with TV and online ads. He also has entered the race as the highest-profile candidate with his star power behind him, which his opponents have also used to paint him as an out-of-touch TV star.

One of Oz’s Republican opponents, David McCormick, a U.S. Army veteran and former hedge fund executive, has targeted the doctor in early campaign ads.

While not mentioning McCormick by name, Oz said he had a problem with how other Republicans were going after him.

Oz told the crowd he was putting $10 million of his own money into the race. He also said he has paused his successful TV show and other businesses to run for office.

Throughout the campaign, Oz has faced questions about dubious medical advice given on his popular syndicated TV show, his residency in the state, past statements that conflict with current Republican policy points, and his dual Turkish citizenship.

The Trafalgar Group, a popular research company in politics, recently released a poll that showed Oz with an early lead over his Republican opponents.