Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Two of the men seeking the Republican nomination to run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania will be visiting the region this week.
Dr. Mehmet Oz will be stopping at Arcaro & Genell’s Restaurant in Old Forge at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
David McCormick will participate in a 6:30 p.m. reception on Friday at Isabella’s Restaurant & Bar in Plains Township.
These events are invitation-only, according to information provided to the Times Leader.
The seat is opening up because Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, is retiring.
Both men bring wide name recognition to the race, though in widely different arenas.
Oz, 61, is a celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s show. He entered the race in November.
McCormick, 56, is a former hedge fund CEO who formally announced his candidacy last week. As the Associated Press pointed out, “McCormick grew up on a farm, graduated from West Point, fought in the Gulf War, got a doctorate from Princeton University, served in senior positions in former President George W. Bush’s administration and reached the pinnacle of business success as a Wall Street CEO.”
Both are apparently relocating to Pennsylvania to run, though both also have previous connections to the state.
Oz is a longtime New Jersey resident, but claims he moved to Pennsylvania a year prior to his announcement, renting his in-laws’ home in suburban Philadelphia, where he is registered to vote. Earlier in his life he attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.
McCormick lived in Connecticut since 2009, the AP reports, but grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from high school in Bloomsburg, and has business ties in the state. He has purchased a home in Pittsburgh.
There is substantial competition for the nomination in both parties.