Talk show titan Oprah Winfrey finally offered her thoughts on former protégé Dr. Mehmet Oz’s recently announced GOP Senate bid in Pennsylvania, deliberately distancing herself from the conservative cardiac surgeon’s campaign.
Winfrey, who is 67 years old, said that “one of the best things about our democracy” was that anyone can run for public office. She spoke to New York magazine on Tuesday, in a concise but well-constructed statement made by Nicole Nichols, Winfrey’s spokesperson.
Mehmet Oz has taken that decision. It’s now up to Pennsylvanians to choose who they will be represented by,’ The Oprah Winfrey host asserted. Her old friend who rocketed into fame in 2000s as a regular on her show before landing his very own in 2009, was praised without words.
Winfrey was affectionately known as America’s doctor at the time. He appeared regularly on the program to give advice on health and well-being.
Winfrey is a well-known Democrat, who supported former President Obama as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during their White House campaigns. She did not comment on Oz’s campaign.
Oprah Winfrey was deliberately distant from Tuesday’s political campaign by her friend and old associate, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Oz is running in Pennsylvania, as a pro Trump Republican. He announced his candidacy last week
Oz had announced his intention to run to succeed Pat Toomey, the retiring Republican, last month. He has now decided to cancel his show’s 13th season in order to continue his political career.
He was the son of Turkish immigrants who were born in Cleveland.
Oz declared last month, when Oz announced his candidacy to the Pennsylvania Senate: “We haven’t managed our crises so effectively as past generations,”
“During the pandemic,” he said, “I discovered that politics mixed with medicine can lead to politics rather than solutions.” That’s why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal.’
Oz rose to prominence in 2000 when she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, giving tips and tricks to viewers about health and well-being.
A pro-Trump Republican wrote an editorial for The Washington Examiner in which he announced his candidacy in November. He focused on federal government mismanagement of pandemic.
The surgeon stated that they were angry at their government and each other.
The virus has claimed the lives of over 750,000 people in the United States. This is a terrible loss for communities and families. Many of these deaths were avoidable. COVID-19 provided an excuse to the government and the elite thinkers, who had control over the communication channels. Oz stated that any opposition from prominent scholars was ridiculed and cancelled so their ideas couldn’t be disseminated.
Oz paid tribute to ‘moments of brilliance,’ including ‘mRNA vaccines made possible by President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.’
Oz said, “We must confront those that want to change America’s very soul and reimagine America using their toxic ideology.”
Kurz after Oz posted his first campaign video via Twitter,
Our system has been broken by Covid. Washington’s mistake caused us to lose too many people, too many jobs and too many chances. They removed our rights and made us less secure. They stripped us of our humanity and dignity. Pennsylvania must have a conservative that will place America first.
Oz is joining the Republican candidate field to win Pennsylvania’s vacant U.S. Senate seat next year
Oz will bring his wealth and name recognition to the wide-open race. This is likely to make Oz one of the most competitive in the country and could decide the fate of the Senate’s control next year.
Oz, a New Jersey native for many years, would join a Republican field now in a resetting phase with a new crop of candidates. This is also a chance to appeal to Trump loyalists as the Trump candidate has already withdrawn from the race.
Oz had his own show on the air for more 10 years. His current salary is $20 million, with an estimated net worth around $100 million.
The doctor’s personal daughter Daphne Oz will host a new spinoff called The Good Dish.
Family ties: The television personality’s long-running, syndicated show will be replaced by a spinoff titled The Good Dish, hosted by his own daughter Daphne Oz. Image taken in 2018.