Republicans were flying high in the coming days and hours before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Americans were promised a red wave, that unfortunately fell short.
As the country still awaits results for the House and Senate, many are asking where it all went wrong.
A hot race that was watched with eager eyes throughout the entire nation was the Pennsylvania Senate race against Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz (R-PA), who fell short among votes, and John Fetterman (D-PA), who came up in the lead.
Going from a celebrity doctor and TV personality to a Trump-endorsed Senate candidate, Oz has made strides in his political career, gaining support from Republicans for his fight against the Left’s progressive agenda.
According to analysts that spoke to the Washington Examiner, the Republican’s loss was due to mixed messages, missed opportunities, and the failure to connect with every day Pennsylvanians.
Political strategist Nathan Calvert said that former President Trump’s backing of Oz was the nail in the coffin, saying that the Republican’s team “didn't establish his identity well enough,” arguing that voters associated Oz with the former president.
“You have a first-generation immigrant, wildly successful, potential first Muslim U.S. senator, graduated medical school from the University of Pennsylvania, also has a degree from Wharton — and so you look at his resume and you go, 'Wow, that's a great candidate’… I think so much of that primary was about Trump and not enough about Oz. I don't know if there was a way to mend the damage that was done through the primary branding,” Calvert said.
Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly “furious” the former celebrity doctor lost to his Democrat opponent, blaming his wife, Melania Trump for endorsing the Republican.
Trump was supposedly going to announce his 2024 presidential run next week, however, several close to him are pushing him to wait.