Trump is backing ‘Dr. Oz’ in the Pennsylvania Senate race. What to know about the ex-TV show host – USA TODAY

Republican J.D. Vance wins Ohio primary after Donald Trump endorsement

Trump's pick for the Ohio GOP candidate, J.D. Vance, wins a spot in the November Senatorial election.

Cody Godwin, USA TODAY

In the Ohio Senate race, former PresidentDonald Trumps endorsement lifted a media personality and outsider candidate to the GOP nomination over a crammed Republican field.

Now, Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, hopes thatTrumps influence will come to bear in Pennsylvanias Republican Senate primary, where he holds a thinlead in the polls, according to RealClearPolitics.

Trumpendorsed Oz last monthin his bid to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

Ozs celebrity status has made him the subject of intense scrutiny by his opponents, who have questioned his loyalty to the country because he holds dual U.S. and Turkish citizenship.

Aside from Oz, the main contendersin the Republican primary are Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund manager, and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette.

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Oz is best known for his nationally syndicated television program the Dr. Oz Show, which came to an end with his Senate run. Ozs ascent to fame began with frequent appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show, where he appeared as a health expert,before finally getting his own show in 2009.

He had worked as a heart surgeon at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to his biography on the Dr. Oz Show website.

In the medical community, Ozs promotion of alternative medicines has made him a controversial figure. Some doctors have gone as far as to publicly call for Columbia University, where Oz taught, to cut its ties with the now Senate candidate, Vox reported.

The university removed Ozs profile from its website, the Daily Beast and others reported, following his Senate race entrance.

Oz earned his doctor of medicine from the University of Pennsylvaniain 1986. He also has an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Master ofBusiness Administration from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.

Oz'sparents immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey. His father, Mustafa, had also been a surgeon.

Oz was born on June 11, 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio. He is 61 years old.

Ozs campaign website lists more than a dozen issue areas. In his first campaign ad, Oz appealed to his medical background and addressed the COVID-19 pandemic.

They took away our freedom, Oz said in the ad. Without making us safer.

His campaign site notes Ozs opposition to business shutdowns and support for keeping children in schools. He also told Fox News he was opposed to vaccine mandates.

Another focus of the Oz campaign is energy independence, which was one of manyissues highlighted in Trumps endorsement statement. Hiscampaign site says Oz supports slashing regulations on the fossil fuel industry to increase domestic energy production.

The rest of Ozs platform runs the gamut on the GOP's defining issues during Joe Biden's presidency.

Election security, cancel culture, and get tough on China, are all focuses of the campaign along with more classic Republican positions ongun rights, the economy,immigration and abortions.

On Twitter, Oz weighed in on the leaked majority opinion draft written by Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito, agreeing with Alitos rebuke of Roe v. Wade.

Aside from Trump, Oz is backed by former RepublicanTexas governor Rick Perry and Fox News Sean Hannity. J.D. Vance, theOhio GOP Senate nominee, and former Republican presidential candidate and Housing and Urban Developmentecretary Ben Carson also support Oz.

One of Ozs children is his daughter Daphne Oz, a chef and TV personality, who hosts a cooking show that replaced her fathers show. In 1985, Oz married his wife Lisa, with whom he has four children.

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Trump is backing 'Dr. Oz' in the Pennsylvania Senate race. What to know about the ex-TV show host - USA TODAY