Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, left is seen in Exeter on Thursday evening with state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, wife Lisa Oz, and Luzerne County Republican Party Chairman P.J. Pribula walking to a private fundraising event at at the American Grill, 1320 Wyoming Ave.
Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader
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EXETER — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, attended a private fundraising event in Exeter Thursday evening at the American Grill, 1320 Wyoming Ave.
He stopped at the home of Luzerne County Republican Party Chairman P.J. Pribula nearby before walking to the event and briefly taking questions from local media waiting outside the event.
But it was his wife Lisa who addressed perhaps one of the most contentious questions of the campaign so far: She and her husband live in Pennsylvania, she said.
“He supports Pennsylvania. He is running for the Senate because he believes in Pennsylvania and wants to help,” Lisa Oz said of her husband, a longtime New Jersey resident whose residency in this state has been questioned by critics in both parties.
Oz won a close race against David McCormick in the May 17 primary. He is facing Democrat John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor, in the November general election.
According to state election returns, Oz won Luzerne County with 40.57% of the vote, or 13,967 votes, compared with 34.06% for nearest competitor McCormick, who garnered 11,725 votes.
On the Democratic side, Fetterman won Luzerne County with 68.76%, or 18,634 votes, compared to 22%, or 5,962 votes, for nearest competitor Rep. Conor Lamb.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Oz said that he feels he did well in Luzerne County in the primary and believes he has the support of many conservative Democrats, especially as inflation continues to pinch consumers.
“A lot of people are telling me when I come to this area that they are angry, they are very upset about the extremely high energy prices,” Oz said, adding that he has spoken to many people who feel “it’s almost done purposefully by the by the (Biden) administration,” though he didn’t elaborate.
Oz also said he feels that Fetterman is to the far left of President Joe Biden.
Asked about the Jan. 6 Committee hearings, Oz said he hasn’t been following them closely, and he did not say whether he thinks that anyone did break the law, but that if someone broke the law, they should face the consequences.
Oz was endorsed in the primary by former President Donald Trump, whose actions on Jan. 6, 2021 are a key focus of the committee’s investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol that day by Trump supporters.
Thursday’s event was well attended, including a number of key names in Luzerne County Republican circles such as Pribula, state Sen. Lisa Baker, state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, and county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.