Oz courts GOP voters at town hall event in Monroeville

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former TV personality and celebrity surgeon, has struggled with his approval ratings ever since narrowly winning the Republican primary election in May, and at a campaign event in Monroeville he attempted to persuade his Republican base to come out and support his campaign for Pennsylvania’s open senate seat.

More than 200 supporters filled a warehouse Monday evening at Premier Automation LLC in Monroeville, and Oz took questions about immigration, abortion, crime and guns from the audience.

While many people cheered for Oz and many left with yard signs, there were also some awkward moments when Oz tried to square his support for issues that didn’t perfectly align with the crowd, including questions about those arrested in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

One woman asked Oz during the town hall-like event what he was going to do about the people in jail for “an incident that they are calling an insurrection” to a large round of applause. Oz responded by touting his endorsement from the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police union and implied that those who broke U.S. laws should be charged.

“I am a law and order kind of person,” said Oz. “If you broke the law, you have to pay the price, and if you did not pay the price, then you should not be allowed to go free.”

But the crowd was mainly supportive of Oz stances, even as the candidate tacked a bit toward the center on some issues.

He spoke about supporting an “all of the above” energy policy, implying increased natural gas and domestic fossil fuels in addition to renewable energy. He said he is “pro-life” but believes abortion should be allowed in cases of danger to the mother’s health, rape and incest, and that state governments should be the final say on whether abortion restrictions should be passed.

After the event, Ed Nicolette of Trafford said Oz showed that he stands with him on many issues and that the night convinced him to be a full-fledged Oz supporter.

“If I wasn’t sure before, I am sure now,” said Nicolette.

Oz also highlighted his background as the son of Turkish immigrants and how he grew up “just south of Philadelphia, near Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world.” Oz went to high school in Wilmington, Del.

He appeared to be attempting to address attacks from his opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who has criticized Oz for moving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to run for Senate. Oz said his family is an example of the American Dream because his parents were able to immigrate to America and his father became successful in the medical field and Oz followed in his footsteps.

Similar to the TV ads that Oz and national Republicans are running, Oz at the Monroeville event hit Fetterman hard over the lieutenant governor’s support for criminal justice reforms. Oz claimed Fetterman wants to release violent criminals from incarceration, and that his support for such policies is partially responsible for a rise in crime in the state. He also attacked Fetterman for his support of safe injection sites.

Fetterman tweeted Monday that the Oz campaign is trying to conflate his support for things like decriminalizing marijuana with other “seriously harmful crimes.”

Oz also criticized Fetterman for not yet agreeing to any general election debates. Oz has proposed five debates, and said Monday that Fetterman hasn’t agreed to any yet. He acknowledged that Fetterman is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in May, but said Fetterman should be transparent with voters.

“If [Fetterman’s health] is the reason he is not debating, you have got to tell us,” said Oz.

The event lasted about an hour, and Oz touched on many issues, including trying to portray Fetterman as a radical, and tied to progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

“My opponent John Fetterman, he is the most radical candidate to run for senate this cycle, and maybe the most radical candidate to even run for statewide office,” said Oz.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party responded to Oz’s attacks with a statement attacking Oz’s wealth and multiple properties he owns outside of Pennsylvania.

“If elected to the Senate, Oz will fight for millionaires from New Jersey and Palm Beach while selling out Pennsylvania families every chance he gets,” reads the PA Dems statement.

The latest poll from Emerson College gives Fetterman a 4-point edge over Oz, with 48% of Pennsylvania voters preferring Fetterman and 44% supporting Oz.