Dave McCormick, who has lobbied privately for former President Trump’s blessing, is pursuing Trump’s support for Dr. Oz in the country’s hottest race, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania’s US Senate race.
Why it matters: Trump hit McCormick at a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday night. Now McCormick is backing off in an ad you first see on Axios – mocking Oz’s approval.
McCormick’s campaign told Axios that the ad would begin airing on Monday as the main commercial of the week, the last week before the May 17 primary.
- The ad, called “Wrong Approval in Pennsylvania,” includes a video of Laura Ingramham of Fox News, who says on her show, “It was a mistake to support Oz.”
Background: Trump attacks McCormick for the first time on Friday at a rainy, muddy rally last night near Pittsburgh.
- The former president said that as CEO of Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund, McCormick “manages money for communist China.”
- Trump claims that McCormick is “the candidate for special interests and the globalists and the Washington establishment … who is robbing the United States of bad trade deals and open borders,” the AP reported.
Trump has spent more time criticizing McCormick than praising Oz, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- “McCormick may be a nice person, but he’s not a MAGA,” Trump said.
- The crowd whistled as a warm-up speaker mentioned Oz.
Background: McCormick strongly sought Trump’s support by turning to his wife, Dina Powell, a former Trump employee, and Trump-friendly advisers such as Hope Hicks to plead his case. They mostly made Trump remain neutral in the race, but he froze McCormick in a very public way.
Reality Check: The ad calls Oz “PRO-ABORTION.” Oz used to talk about abortion rights, but now he says it’s 100% Pro-Life.
McCormick told Fox & Friends this morning from a snack bar in Swickley, Pennsylvania:
- “President Trump is very popular in Pennsylvania – and for good reason, because his America First policy was great for Pennsylvania and Americans. The problem is that Mehmet Oz is not popular in Pennsylvania. “
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