On National New Jersey Day, Dr. Oz's Pa. Senate Challenger Reflects on the Doctor's Garden State Roots
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Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images Dr. Oz
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor and Pennsylvania's Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, can't seem to escape his history of proudly proclaiming to be a New Jerseyan.
On Wednesday — also known as National New Jersey Day — Oz's Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, further proved his internet savviness as he and his wife took a moment to once again remind Pennsylvania voters that Oz only declared residency in the state a year before announcing his Senate run.
"Today is a very big day for Dr. Oz," Fetterman says in a video posted to Twitter, referring to National New Jersey Day. "It's a holiday recognizing Dr. Oz's home state!"
Fetterman and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, went on to say that they will be celebrating the "special occasion" by installing a billboard later this week along the New Jersey-Pennsylvania state line. A mockup of the billboard reads: "Now leaving New Jersey for Pennsylvania ... just like Dr. Oz."
Today is a *very* big day for Dr. Oz
It's NEW JERSEY DAY!!! 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/UOX1BJMUpo— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) July 27, 2022
Fetterman's strategy to keep Oz's New Jersey roots on voters' minds is not a new one. In recent weeks Fetterman flew a "Welcome Home" banner over the Jersey Shore while Oz was visiting one of his Jersey residences, started a petition to induct Oz in the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and called him a "tourist" when an image of him in a Pennsylvania market reached the internet.
He also recruited famous New Jersey residents to film videos aligning themselves with Oz. In one, Jersey Shore's Snooki poked fun at Oz's move to Pennsylvania, calling it "temporary" while he attempts to "look for a new job."
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bonnie Biess/Getty
While delivered in jest, Fetterman's point has seemed to resonate with voters, who are facing constant reminders of Oz's long affinity for Jersey.
Though he is running as a Democrat in hopes of replacing Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, Fetterman has pulled ahead of Oz in both polling and fundraising, even while recovering from a stroke. Oz theorizes that Democrats are quicker to fund campaigns than MAGA Republicans; Fetterman thinks it's a testament to voters' priorities.
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Oz has tried to distance himself from New Jersey since entering the Senate race, an important move to earn voters' trust. In an interview with ABC27, Oz said, "I'm very proud that I'm a Pennsylvanian," adding that Pennsylvanians "care much more for what I stand for than where I'm from."
But not too long ago, his Garden State identity was proudly on display as he fawned over the people of New Jersey, calling them his favorite thing about the state. "Each of us are the safety net for the other next to us," he told Hip New Jersey in a 2020 video interview. "That's what humanity has always been about and we know it in New Jersey."
In terms of lifestyle, Oz's values also seem to misalign with his would-be constituents — something that has nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with relatability.
Once quick to post about his regular attendance at Yankees and Giants baseball games, he can't connect with voters over the Phillies and Pirates. Formerly ranked the fifth most influential New Jersey resident (and still known to frequently return to his upscale, Manhattan-facing Jersey home), Oz doesn't resonate with blue-collar workers in the same way no-frills Fetterman does.
Those seemingly little things now put the Republican Party at risk of losing a Senate seat. And the wealth of recorded statements Oz has made about loving New Jersey certainly aren't helping.
