Dr. Oz Expected to Announce Run for Pennsylvania’s Open U.S. Senate Seat

Will Dr. Oz become Senator Oz?

According to two people familiar with his plans who spoke to The Associated Press, the celebrity heart surgeon and host of the Dr. Oz Show on TV could make an announcement Tuesday night on "Hannity," which is hosted by nationally-syndicated radio show host Sean Hannity on Fox News.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a longtime New Jersey resident, is reportedly eyeing Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat. And, with the "huge announcement" - as termed by Hannity himself - happening via the airwaves of one of the nation's leading conservatives, it is no surprise that Dr. Oz would run as a Republican.

Last week, the perceived front-runner for the seat - Sean Parnell - dropped out of the race following a court ruling against him in the custody of his children, according to fox29.com. Parnell was backed by former President Donald Trump. With Hannity being a friend of Trump, it's logical to expect many of the former president's supporters to throw their weight behind Dr. Oz.

For the record, there is another person associated with President Trump in the race - his ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands.

In April 2020, Dr. Oz took some heat following comments he made on "Hannity" pertaining to allowing students back in school during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Schools are a very appetizing opportunity,” Dr. Oz said. “I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but…that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider.”

The U.S. Senate seat is currently being occupied by Republican Pat Toomey, who Fox29 reports has opted to return to the private sector instead of running for a third term.