Former president Donald Trump said that Dr Mehmet Oz, his preferred candidate in the Pennsylvania’s Senate primary, should simply declare victory in the Republican contest despite the race being too close to call.
Mr Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social the day after polls closed in the Keystone State. Mr Trump endorsed the former television host and physician last month despite conservative objections to his record.
“Dr Oz should declare victory,” he said. “It makes it much harder to cheat with the ballots they ‘just happened to find.’”
Mr Trump decried the slow pace of election results in Pennsylvania and complained the contest is rigged, specifically focusing on mail-in ballots as Dr Oz is locked in a tight contest.
Mr Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, that there were irregularities with mail-in ballots.
“Here we go again! In Pennsylvania, they are unable to count the Mail-In Ballots,” he wrote. “Our Country should go to paper ballots with same day voting. Just done in France, zero problems. Get Smart America!!!”
Mr Trump’s complaints come as the Republican primary for Senate in the commonwealth remains too close to call. Mr Trump endorsed the former television host and physician, who faced criticism that he was not sufficiently conservative. Former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick trailed Dr Oz by 1,395 votes as of Wednesday morning.
But Mr McCormick had a significant advantage in mail-in ballots, as 38,607 voters cast their ballots by mail for him compared to 27,375 for Dr Oz.
Elections that are within 0.5 per cent must have an automatic recount and currently Mr McCormick trails Dr Oz by 0.11 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, who enjoyed a late surge in the polls ahead of the contest, is behind Dr Oz by 6.5 per cent of the vote.
The winner of the primary will face Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who won the Democratic nomination against Representative Conor Lamb and state legislator Malcolm Kenyatta.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who voted to convict Mr Trump for his role in the January 6 riot at the Capitol, is retiring at the end of this term.
