Dr. Oz says he is running for Senate in US state of Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON

Celebrity cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz announced Tuesday that he is running for Senate in the US state of Pennsylvania as a Republican.

"During the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That’s why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal," Oz said in an op-ed published in Washington Examiner.

"I’m running for the Senate to empower you to control your destiny, to reinvigorate our great nation, and to reignite the divine spark that we should always be seeing in each other," he wrote.

The 61-year-old Turkish-American is the latest Republican vying to succeed the seat held by retiring Pat Toomey next year. He is expected to be one of the most competitive candidates.

The announcement was first reported Monday by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

There is currently just one Republican candidate left in the race, establishment Republican Jeff Bartos.

Military veteran Sean Parnell, who received former President Donald Trump's endorsement in September, dropped out from the race after losing a custody battle last week against his estranged wife.

Oz has a record of donating to Democrats and Republicans and would bring celebrity status to the race. But he lacks political experience and his ties to Pennsylvania may be perceived as weak with voters, according to the Washington Free Beacon website.