Substitute while the actions of the article are loading
The race between renowned doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund chief executive David McCormick is set to be recounted after a senior Pennsylvania election official said Wednesday that the gap between the first two Republican candidates is small enough to cause one.
In a statement, Acting Secretary of State Lee M. Chapman said he would “order a legally required state-wide recount in the May 17 primary race for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Mehmet S. Oz and David H. McCormick, who finished first and second respectively, have a combined vote of one-half of one percent of the margin, which triggers a mandatory recount under state law. “
The move displaces the outcome of the June race, as counties have until June 7 to count the ballots and inform the secretary of state of their findings by June 8.
According to the latest vote count, Oz leads McCormick with 947 votes out of more than 1.3 million votes cast.
The Post’s Annie Linsky discusses the uneven influence of former President Donald Trump in key primary races on May 17. (Video: Mahlia Posey / The Washington Post)
Oz has the support of former President Donald Trump, who opposed the vote and called on the surgeon to simply declare himself the winner.
In a statement, McCormick said, “We are proud that our campaign received nearly 418,000 votes, won 37 out of 67 constituencies and contributed to historical activity with little difference between me and Mehmet Oz.” He said the campaign was looking forward to a “quick resolution” of the census so that “we can unite to defeat Socialist John Feterman in the fall.”
The Oz campaign did not respond immediately to the news of the recount.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Lieutenant Governor Fetterman (D) in a race deemed crucial to Senate control. Senator Patrick J. is currently in office. Tumi (R), who resigned after 11 years in office.
Democrats took advantage of Wednesday’s countdown, with the Democratic Senators’ Campaign’s Campaign Committee saying the eventual Republican winner would be harmed by “the endless internal party struggle.”
“The census will ensure that Republicans remain divided, disorganized and in chaos – and that any Republican candidate eventually emerges will be lame in an even worse election,” said DSCC spokesman David Bergstein. statement.
The primary election also drew attention to Republicans’ views on postal voting after McCormick filed a lawsuit this week to ensure that unsubstantiated ballot papers will not be discarded. The Oz campaign rejected the move as an offer to count “legally rejected ballots.”
It is not clear how many ballots lack handwritten dates – but McCormick could get closer to Oz if those ballots are counted. While Oz is better at personal voting, mail ballots are slightly in favor of McCormick, who received 32 percent of the state’s mail votes against 23 percent of Oz, according to the Pennsylvania State Department.
Maria Louise Paul contributed to this report.
Add Comment