Trump Endorses Big Name in a Big Race

Donald Trump has issued his endorsement in a close Senate race, and the name is a familiar one. The former president said he's backing Mehmet Oz—aka the TV celebrity known as Dr. Oz—in Pennsylvania's Republican Senate primary.

• Endorsement: "Dr. Oz is Pro-Life, very strong on Crime, the Border, Election Fraud, our Great Military, and our Vets, Tax Cuts, and will always fight for and support our under-siege Second Amendment," wrote Trump, per Axios.
• Political risk: Oz is in a too-close-to-call race with former hedge fund manager David McCormick, notes Politico. "Some of Trump’s allies have strong opinions on the primary in Pennsylvania, and he risks upsetting friends in choosing Oz, just as he would have had he backed McCormick." Steve Bannon, for example, has referred to Oz as "anti-MAGA," though Oz has Sean Hannity and Melania Trump in his camp as strong supporters.

• The stakes: The Pennsylvania race to replace the retiring Republican Patrick J. Toomey is one of the biggest in this year's elections, per the Washington Post. It could go a long way in determining which party ultimately controls the Senate. Democrats have a crowded primary field of their own.
• Second time: Trump previously gave his endorsement in the race to Republican Sean Parnell, but Parnell later dropped out over allegations of domestic abuse, notes the Hill.
• TV connection: Trump, of course, rose to fame as a TV celebrity, and he appears to admire Oz for doing the same. “He’s been on TV in people’s bedrooms and living rooms for years," Trump has said to associates, per Politico. “There’s a certain level of trust usually associated with that,” an insider tells the outlet. “Something the president understands intimately because it was key to his rise.” (Trump famously appeared on Oz's TV show as a candidate in 2016 and got a clean bill of health.)