Mehmet Oz, Dave McCormick neck and neck in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate primary

The auto recount trigger in Pennsylvania for a statewide race is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total vote.

Annie McCormick Image
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Oz, McCormick locked in too close to call Pa. GOP Senate race
Donald Trump's preferred candidate in Pennsylvania's Senate Republican primary was essentially tied with a more traditional rival.

NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Tuesday night's most closely watched race in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate contest is still too close to call.

Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick are neck and neck. Political commentator Kathy Barnette trails behind by more than 86,000 votes.

The night's most closely watched race in Pennsylvania's GOP Senate contest is still too close to call.

As of Wednesday morning, with 95% of precincts reporting, Oz had 411,674 votes while McCormick held 409,002 votes. Barnette trailed behind with a total of 325,557 votes.

Pennsylvania law requires recounts when the margin between the top two candidates is 0.5 percentage points or less. With just a few hundred votes separating Oz and McCormick, the result may not be clear for several days.

Election Results: Live updates on Pennsylvania primary races

The winner will face Democratic challenger John Fetterman, who won his party's nomination days after suffering a stroke.

"We're not gonna have a result tonight," Oz said shortly before midnight, before vowing to Trump, "I will make you proud."

Oz had been locked in an expensive battle with McCormick. But Barnette, who has drawn the support of Trump backers suspicious of Oz's ideological shifts, stunned the political world with a late surge that upended the race in the final weeks as she tries to become the first Black Republican woman elected to the Senate.

Barnette, who voted in Huntingdon Valley on Tuesday morning, has repeated false claims the 2020 election was stolen.

In recent days, pictures have emerged of Barnette apparently marching near members of the Proud Boys on January 6, 2021. ABC News has verified the images that were first shared by an independent researcher.

She denied any connection to the Proud Boys to another network.

Kathy Barnette trails behind Mehmet Oz, Dave McCormick in Pa. GOP Senate contest. Dann Cuellar has the latest on Action News at 11 p.m. on May 17, 2022.
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