Oz Wins Pennsylvania Senate Primary by 951 Votes, Recount Shows
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Pennsylvania Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz won the primary by a margin of 951 votes, officials announced Wednesday.
The announcement was made after a recount of the votes was ordered by the Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman on May 27, ten days after the primary that saw Oz and hedge-fund manager David McCormick locked in a neck-and-neck race deemed too close to call – with the difference in vote shares being 0.07 percent. Third-place candidate Kathy Barnette, meanwhile, gained approximately 25 percent of the vote. Under Pennsylvania law, the difference of less than 0.5 percent triggered an automatic recount.
That recount, completed on Wednesday, saw Oz confirmed as the winner by 951 votes, out of 1,345,230 votes cast. The Associated Press had previously projected a final lead of 972 votes for Oz in the primary, a 21-vote difference.
The race between Oz and McCormick for the GOP nomination in the race to succeed retiring Senator Pat Toomey (R., Penn.) was widely watched, given the seat’s importance to Senate Republicans’ goal of retaking the chamber from Democrats in this year’s midterm elections. Oz, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, faced criticism for not residing in the state and for his lack of political experience, since he has been a physician and a television personality. Trump’s role in the primary attracted further controversy when he urged Oz to declare victory against McCormick before the race was called, which Oz refused to do.
McCormick had previously conceded to Oz on Friday, stating that he could not make up the narrow difference between himself and Oz. “It’s now clear to me, with the recount now largely complete, that we have a nominee,” McCormick said in a concession speech, where he endorsed Oz’s candidacy in the general election against Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat. Since recently suffering a stroke, Fetterman has not been seen in public view.
“Now that our primary is over, we will make sure that this U.S. Senate seat does not fall into the hands of the radical left, led by John Fetterman. I look forward to campaigning in every corner of the Commonwealth for the next five months to earn the support of every Pennsylvanian,” Oz declared after his victory.
