New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday took a swing at Senate GOP nominee Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician who is running for a Pennsylvania seat despite living in New Jersey until recently.
Mr. Oz has been registered to vote in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, since late 2020 as part of his transition to living in the commonwealth.
Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, predicted Mr. Oz would be forced to move back to the Garden State.
“New Jersey has many great exports – Mehmet Oz isn’t one of them. Pennsylvanians will send him back to Cliffside Park this November,” Mr. Murphy tweeted from his personal account.
He was referring to the Bergen County town where Mr. Oz lived during his rise to fame.
Mr. Oz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and squeaked out a win over former hedge fund CEO David McCormick in the GOP primary.
He will face Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat, in the general election for the Pennsylvania seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican.
Mr. Murphy’s tweet underscored Democrats’ attempts to paint Mr. Oz as a carpetbagger.
The No Dem Left Behind political action committee issued a fundraising email on Thursday with the subject line, “Dr. Oz for New Jersey.”
Mr. Fetterman, meanwhile, will confront questions about his health after suffering a stroke on May 13 and getting a pacemaker.
The Democrat tried to ease doubts earlier this month by releasing a letter from his cardiologist that said he would be able to return to the campaign trail and fulfill his duties as a senator if elected.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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