Mehmet Oz, the celebrity surgeon and former TV personality, has lost his race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in the midterm election.
Oz, a Republican, lost to Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. The morning after the election, Fetterman led Oz by more than 3 points with 94 percent of votes reported, according to the Associated Press.
The seat had been held by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, and Fetterman’s win flips hold of the seat to the Democrats in a close national contest for control of the Senate.
Oz conceded to Fetterman over the phone in the morning, according to CNN.
The contest between Oz and Fetterman has been considered one of the keys to control of the Senate. Democrats hoped adding that seat would bolster their razor-thin majority in that chamber, so it became equally important for Republicans to hold onto it.
Fetterman’s victory caps a closely watched race, which Oz spent nearly $27 million out of his own pocket to win, according to Fox News.
Fetterman led Oz in polling for most of the race, but was overtaken by the former television personality in recent days, according to an average of polls analyzed by FiveThirtyEight.com. Fetterman had faced a setback in the race after suffering from a stroke in May.
Dubbed “America’s Doctor” by Oprah Winfrey, Oz made his name over the last decade hosting “The Dr. Oz Show,” a daily talk show that was once among the most highly rated TV shows in the U.S.
Oz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but won his primary race by a narrow margin of less than 1,000 votes.
Oz, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Turkey, had vowed to renounce his Turkish citizenship if he won the race.
Had he won, Oz who would have been the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate.
