End Citizens United PAC rolls out $2M ad buy hitting Oz over NJ ties

Julia Manchester
·2 min read
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The End Citizens United PAC rolled out a $2 million ad buy in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, hitting Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz over his ties to New Jersey and special interests.

The ad buy, which will run Aug. 2-13, will air on broadcast, cable,and streaming in the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg media markets. The Hill was the first outlet to report on the ad buy, which is the group’s first of the general election cycle.

The ad, which is titled “Fuggedaboutit,” accuses Oz of taking money from the pharmaceutical industry and refers to him as a “Jersey Oz.”

“Mehmet Oz is as New Jersey as listening to Bruce Springsteen while driving on the parkway to go down to the shore. That’s exactly why he’s out-of-touch with hardworking Pennsylvanians,” Tiffany Muller, the president of End Citizens United, said in a statement to The Hill.

The liberal group’s ad campaign is the latest to hit the television doctor-turned-politician in Pennsylvania. Democrats, including Senate nominee John Fetterman, have sought to portray Oz as a carpetbagger from New Jersey.

Fetterman has used various methods to mock Oz over the issue, including flying an airplane banner along South Jersey beaches that read, “HEY DR. OZ, WELCOME HOME TO NJ! ❤ JOHN” and enlisting the help of former “Jersey Shore” cast member Nicole “Snooki” LaValle.

Oz’s campaign has responded to Fetterman’s tactics, saying Oz is more actively engaged with voters.

“Dr. Oz is busy criss-crossing the commonwealth and meeting with voters hearing how crime and inflation is impacting their lives, while John Fetterman is sitting behind his computer screen from his basement bunker refusing to meet with Pennsylvanians,” said Brittany Yanick, a spokesperson for the Oz campaign.

Pennsylvania’s Senate race is slated to be one of the most closely watched races of the cycle, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rating the race as a “toss-up.” The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Fetterman leading the race by an average of 8.7 points.

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