Oz, Fetterman, Trump test their fame
The Pennsylvania primary is the latest stage for celebrity politics, with Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman leading as frontrunners in their parties’ senatorial races.
- Trump-endorsed Dr. Oz is in the midst of a tight GOP primary, with opponents using fame against him.
- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has nearly a 40-point lead on U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in the latest poll.
- In some cases, voters see celebrities as more credible than politicians, one analyst said.
- Fetterman has 200,000 individual donors, the most by far in the U.S. Senate race in Pa.
WASHINGTON – When Donald Trump talks about why Dr. Mehmet Oz should be a United States senator, he cites Oz’s medical background, his conservative views – and, above all, something else.
His celebrity.
“His show is great,” Trump told supporters at a May 6 rally in Pennsylvania, site of a Tuesday primary that showcases a powerful development of 20th and 21st Century public life: celebrity politics.