As a child, I grew up just a few miles south of Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world. This fact was never lost on my father who would often say, “don’t be a mushroom.” By that, he meant: don’t sit in the dark and be fed manure your whole life, just to get canned at the end of it all.
I learned a lot from my father who grew up on a dirt floor in Turkey. His story demonstrated how lucky I was to be born and raised in America: the land of freedom, opportunity, and justice for all. It was he and my mother who taught me that America was the shining city on the hill and that through hard work, perseverance, and a little bit of luck, I could achieve my own version of the American Dream.
After graduating from medical and business school in Philadelphia, I operated on thousands of patients and invented a tool to fix heart valves that has saved many lives while cutting medical costs. And, as a television host, I focused on empowering individuals to take control of their own health and pursue their dreams.
However, for many across our country, it seems like the shining city has grown a little dim as of late. People feel like they no longer have agency over their lives, no choice in their communities, and no say in the increasingly radical policies coming out of Washington. All the while, hardworking Pennsylvanians are being told they can’t say what they see happening all around them.
Mehmet Oz, US Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a community discussion on safer streets in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.
(Photographer: Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In short, people feel like they’re being kept in the dark and being fed manure.
I’m running for the United States Senate to turn the lights back on in America. That’s the first thing I do in the operating room, and it’s how we’ll start shining a light on what’s wrong with our country.
Over the past two years – under the Joe Biden and John Fetterman agenda, violent crime has surged in our communities. Just last year, Philadelphia broke its all-time homicide record with 562 deaths, and is maintaining that pace so far this year with more than 400 homicides and over 1,000 carjackings for the first time ever.
The rise in violent crime has to stop, but far-left radical extremists like my opponent, John Fetterman, would make it worse by putting criminals ahead of victims and law-abiding citizens. John Fetterman has also advocated for disarming the police and releasing of one-third of Pennsylvania’s inmate population – including violent first- and second-degree murderers.
Worse yet, John Fetterman has supported decriminalizing drugs like heroin and fentanyl, which have already poisoned too many of Pennsylvania’s youth. Such radical policies have no place in Pennsylvania, especially when we have the fourth-highest number of fentanyl deaths in the country.
Republican Pennsylvania Senate nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz holds a rally in the Tunkhanock Triton Hose Co fire station in Tunkhanock, Pa., on Thursday, August 18, 2022.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
To tackle crime, I will vote to fund our police and support communities with the resources they need to stop crime and ensure vulnerable populations have the help they need. I’ve been endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, and the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police because they know I am committed to making our commonwealth safer for everyone.
But even if we had safer streets, 40 year high inflation is still crushing the middle and working classes and driving down real wages. Over the last two years, the cost of living in Pennsylvania has skyrocketed, gas prices have gone through the roof, and simple necessities like baby formula have become harder to get than fentanyl in our cities.
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Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz joins former President Donald Trump onstage during a rally in support of his campaign at the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds on May 6, 2022 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
(Getty)
My opponent, John Fetterman, will be a rubber stamp for Joe Biden’s failing policies and make these problems worse. John Fetterman has advocated for a moratorium on Pennsylvania’s natural gas production, which he calls a stain on Pennsylvania, and he believes more government is the solution along with more tax-and-spend schemes. Together, these policies will rob our working class of their financial security and economic freedom, causing stress and illness.
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In the U.S. Senate, I will fight to lower inflation and cut taxes. I will work to make Pennsylvania a leader in energy production, decrease healthcare costs while improving outcomes, and provide better schools with more choice. I will give power back to you, because you are the best person so make decisions about your family and home.
My opponent, John Fetterman, will be a rubber stamp for Joe Biden’s failing policies and make these problems worse.
I believe we can solve these challenges together and help those who have been hurt the most. Pennsylvania can be a leader in Washington for the rest of the country, but we need bold leadership with fresh ideas – not the same radical politics that have gotten us to this point.
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Together, we will turn the lights back on in America.
Fox News Digital has also invited John Fetterman to submit an op-ed about why voters should cast their ballot for him in the midterm election.
