Pennsylvania is at the heart of a dramatic midterm primary election race. On the Republican side there is a former Wall Street executive vying with a celebrity physician and a surging conservative firebrand. Their likely rival is a Democrat recovering from a stroke.
For months, the GOP race for an open U.S. Senate seat was between Mehmet Oz, known as “Dr. Oz,” and former Bridgewater Associates Chief Executive David McCormick, who with their allies had spent more than $54 million on ads — a record for a Senate primary in the commonwealth. But commentator Kathy Barnette roiled the campaign with a late surge to make it a statistical tie in two polls released days before the primary.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will likely face John Fetterman, the Keystone State’s Democratic gym shorts-wearing lieutenant governor, who announced on Sunday he was hospitalized for a stroke but was “well on my way to a full recovery.” He holds a commanding lead in polls over his nearest rival, U.S. Representative Conor Lamb.
