Oz took the Republican nomination for Senate.
QUICK FACTS:
- Mehmet Oz, a Pennsylvania Republican running for the Senate, said on Tuesday that if elected, he would support legislation that would codify federal rights for same-sex marriage.
- “Dr. Mehmet Oz believes that same-sex couples should have the same freedom to get married as straight couples,” Oz’s communications director said in a statement.
- Oz became well known due to his television career and eventually won former President Donald Trump’s endorsement for Senate, taking the Republican nomination.
THE PUSH TO CODIFY GAY MARRIAGE:
- After passing the House last week by a vote of 267-157, the Respect for Marriage Act now confronts a tough fight in the U.S. Senate where the measure where it would require the support of 10 Republican senators.
- Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the leader of the minority party, has stated he will reserve his comments until the bill has been debated on the Senate floor, but the outlook is not positive for the legislation.
- “I’m not going to make an observation about that until the issue is actually brought up in the Senate,” McConnell said.
BACKGROUND:
- Oz, a former television doctor and heart surgeon, is competing against Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, whose advantage in recent polls has been a plus for Democrats hoping to fill Sen. Pat Toomey’s future Senate seat (R-Pa.).
- Oz won the May Republican primary over businessman David McCormick by just a few thousand votes.
