Dr. Oz's GOP Primary Opponent Concedes in Pennsylvania Senate Race

Dr. Oz
Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The TV personality will likely face off against Democrat John Fetterman in a general election.

Dr. Mehmet Oz's GOP primary race opponent for the vacant Senate seat in Pennsylvania conceded the hotly contested race on Friday, all but paving the way for the TV personality to run as the presumptive Republican nominee in November.

Former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick released a statement saying he called Oz to congratulate him on the victory.

"It's now clear to me, with the recount largely complete, that we have a nominee. And today I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory," McCormick said in part. "And I told him what I always said to you, that I will do my part to try and unite Republicans and Pennsylvanians behind his candidacy, behind his nomination for the Senate."

Following McCormick's concession, Dr. Oz took to Twitter to react to the news.

"I received a gracious phone call from David McCormick and am tremendously grateful for his pledge of support in the fall election. We share the goal of a brighter future for Pennsylvania & America," he wrote. "Now that our primary is over, we will make sure that this U.S. Senate seat does not fall into the hands of the radical left, led by John Fetterman."

"I look forward to campaigning in every corner of the Commonwealth for the next five months to earn the support of every Pennsylvanian," Dr. Oz added.

Despite McCormick's concession, The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race because an automatic recount is underway and the margin between the two candidates is just 0.07 percentage points.

The primary race was initially declared too-close-to-call for hours after polls closed in the state. At the time, Dr. Oz led McCormick by 972 votes out of 1.34 million votes counted in the May 17 primary, The AP reported

Once declared the winner, Dr. Oz will face off against Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman -- who handily won the Democratic primary race against challengers Conor Lamb and Malcolm Kenyatta -- in November.

The race was costly for Dr. Oz, who reportedly spent over $12 million just in advertising, despite getting an endorsement from Donald Trump -- a coveted backing among GOP political candidates.

Dr. Oz first announced his intentions to run for a Pennsylvania Senate seat in an op-ed titled "Why I'm Running to be a Senator From Pennsylvania," published by Washington Examiner last November.

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