Dr Mehmet Oz has called his Democratic opponent John Fetterman to concede defeat in Pennsylvania’s all-important Senate race, according to Mr Fetterman’s campaign.
The Republican nominee reportedly called his rival at 9.30am ET Wednesday without having issued a public statement on the outcome of the race. With more than 94 per cent of the vote counted, he appears to have lost to Mr Fetterman by around three points – representing a margin of more than 150,000 votes.
The Pennsylvania seat was held by retiring Republican Pat Toomey, and so far represents Democrats’ only pickup in the Senate cycle. The seat gives the party a shot of at least holding the working majority, absent an unexpected pickup in the only remaining Republican-held state, Wisconsin.
Dr Oz and Mr Fetterman fought one of the most personal and aggressive campaigns in the country, with Mr Fetterman spending much of the summer mercilessly ridiculing his opponent with ads focused on his extreme wealth, ties to New Jersey.
Dr Oz, meanwhile, took a darker approach, openly questioning whether Mr Fetterman was fit to serve after suffering a stroke earlier this year. At one point, his campaign suggested that the Democrat had brought the stroke on himself with his alleged eating habits.
“If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly,” his spokesperson told an interviewer in August.
At his victory event, Mr Fetterman appeared visibly emotional. After briefly being lost for words, he thanked his supporters and his wife for their help winning the race.
Dr Oz’s defeat is said to have infuriated Donald Trump, who endorsed him in the primary over the objections of many right-wing conservatives who bristled at the TV physician’s record of relatively liberal positions on issues including abortion.
