Mehmet Oz formally concedes Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race to John Fetterman

Pennsylvania’s bitter feud to determine its next U.S. senator has come to an end. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz called Sen.-elect John Fetterman to concede Wednesday morning, bringing a close to one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched Senate races of the midterm election cycle. 

In a statement, Oz said he called Fetterman to congratulate him on his win. “This morning, I called John Fetterman and congratulated him,” Oz said. “I wish him and his family all the best, both personally and as our next United States Senator.”

After multiple media outlets called the race in his favor, Fetterman took the stage at a campaign watch party in Pittsburgh to thank supporters for sending him to Washington. 

“We launched this campaign almost two years ago, and we had our slogan, it’s on every one of those signs right now: ‘Every county, every vote,’” he said during his victory speech. “We had that conversation across every one of those counties, and tonight, that’s why I’ll be the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.”

Fetterman clinched victory despite Oz pouring nearly $27 million of his own money into the race. He also overcame lingering challenges caused by a stroke he suffered days before the primary election in May. 

At times, the race got quite contentious, as Oz’s campaign frequently looked to cast Fetterman as being too far to the left on the political spectrum, sometimes even taking shots at Fetterman’s health. 

Fetterman’s campaign incessantly trolled Oz on social media, framing the celebrity doctor as an out-of-touch candidate lacking strong roots to the state. 

Oz, in conceding the race, called his Senate campaign the “honor of a lifetime.”“Campaigning throughout our great commonwealth was the honor of a lifetime, and I will cherish the memories and the people I met,” he said. “Pennsylvanians showed up with passion and a vision for a bright future that I found inspiring every day.”