Facing down a recount, both Mehmet Oz and David McCormick
are wrong for Pennsylvania workers and families
Within the first 24 hours after winning every county to lock up Pennsylvania Democrats’ U.S. Senate nomination, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman raised $1.6 million, putting himself in an exceptionally strong position as he enters the general election and continues to run a strong campaign to fight for Pennsylvanians in communities across the commonwealth.
That’s a massive contrast with what Fetterman’s two likely general election opponents, Mehmet Oz and David McCormick, have been up to since last Tuesday’s primary.
THE “ARMIES OF LAWYERS.” First off, their near-term challenge: Oz and McCormick are in a “post-election legal showdown” and “unleashing an army of lawyers” against each other in a battle to see who will pull ahead once all ballots are counted.
AND THEN THERE’S THE RECOUNT SITUATION. Even once that is over with, the GOP nomination still won’t be finalized, as an automatic recount appears all but guaranteed, meaning that the ultimate “outcome of the race might not be known until June 8” — giving Fetterman up to three weeks with the general election to himself.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL (THE MASTRIANO SITUATION). Even after that “drama” is over with, whomever wins out in the primary will have to “brace for the ‘crazy dynamic’” of sharing the ballot with “far-right” Doug Mastriano.
AND THE CHALLENGES DON’T STOP THERE — FOR REPUBLICANS. The truth is that, regardless of whether it’s Oz or McCormick who wins the GOP nomination in the end, Pennsylvania and national Republicans will be left with a GOP nominee who’s out-of-touch with Pennsylvanians, wrong for workers, wrong on health care and abortion, and bolstered by corporate interests and Wall Street billionaires.
- Opponents of infrastructure and jobs: Both Oz and McCormick oppose the bipartisan infrastructure and jobs law.
- Even worse: McCormick opposes “Buy American” rules to support American workers and manufacturers, while Oz chooses to have his products made overseas.
- McCormick opposes the PRO Act to strengthen workers’ freedom to come together in a union and collectively bargain for dignity on the job and improved working conditions.
- And let’s not forget that McCormick has a record of laying off Pennsylvania workers, has bragged about his experience offshoring jobs, and been caught exaggerating about his job creation record.
- Threats to Social Security and Medicare: Both Oz and McCormick have already proven they can’t be trusted to protect Social Security and Medicare. Oz has praised Rick Scott’s roadmap that risks phasing out the programs, while McCormick has outright said that cuts need to be on the table (and even pushed privatization as a Bush administration official).
- Anti-health care votes to gut ACA coverage protection: Both Oz and McCormick have criticized the Affordable Care Act which prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and bars insurers from charging higher premiums to women, older Americans, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
- Bought and paid for by corporate interests and Wall Street billionaires: There’s been an abundance of coverage on how both Oz and McCormick are backed by Wall Street billionaires. While some “Wall Street titans” and Goldman Sachs execs have opted to back McCormick, Oz has benefited from the support of others, and benefited from an apparent special relationship with the billionaire du Pont family.
- It’s no wonder that Oz and McCormick back the Trump tax breaks for big corporations and the richest Americans — which, let’s be real, also happens to include the two of them, who are each worth at least tens of millions of dollars.
- It’s no wonder that Oz and McCormick back the Trump tax breaks for big corporations and the richest Americans — which, let’s be real, also happens to include the two of them, who are each worth at least tens of millions of dollars.
- Anti-abortion hardliners: Both Oz and McCormick support a strict ban to outlaw abortion.
- Cannabis legalization opponents: Both Oz and McCormick oppose legalizing recreational cannabis, in contrast to Fetterman.
- And each possible nominee has a number of unique personal vulnerabilities: Oz claims he’s taken on Big Pharma, but he’s deeply invested in pharmaceutical companies and has taken millions from pharma corporations over the course of his career. McCormick will have to contend for his record as hedge fund CEO, including but not limited to making hundreds of million in fees off of Pennsylvania’s retired teachers, while the retirees got just “middling” returns and some working teachers ultimately suffered a decrease in take-home pay. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg on both accounts…
Questions about either of these potential GOP nominees in Pennsylvania or looking for story ideas? Don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
Published: May 23, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 29, 2022