People in Pennsylvania don't know Dr. Mehmet Oz, and he'll have a "heck of a lot of work cut out for him" with his race for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said on Newsmax Wednesday.
"He's a TV figure," Meuser told Newsmax's "Wake Up America" about the celebrity doctor, who announced his candidacy Tuesday following several weeks of speculation.
"He went to school in Pennsylvania [but] he has not participated in Pennsylvania politics," Meuser continued. "None of us know him from the grassroots or donor level, so he's got a heck of a lot of work cut out for him if he's going to give it a serious run."
Oz, a heart surgeon who has national name recognition through his television show and appearances, announced his bid in the race to fill the seat being left by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who is retiring and not seeking reelection in 2022.
But Meuser, stopping far short of an endorsement, said Wednesday that the race for the seat has "some good candidates" and it's "very important" that Republicans keep Toomey's seat.
In his announcement, Oz said he's running "because America needs a conservative Republican," and Meuser agreed that a conservative voice is needed.
"But we also need someone who appreciates that [what's] best with Pennsylvania is best for the country," said Meuser. "We'll see if he can express that to the primary voters."
Meuser also discussed the ongoing talks and upcoming Senate vote on the Build Back Better Act, which he called an "attack on small businesses."
"There are all kinds of complicated taxes," said Meuser. "Small businesses are going to bear the brunt of it. As many as 87,000 new IRS agents are going to go after small businesses because they have the least level of resources to protect themselves, which is terrible. It's got 330,000 new civilian climate corps members that are going to be in uniform and their role is going to be to harass small businesses as well. And we're looking at deficits as far as the eye can see."
Further, Democrats and the White House are "completely misrepresenting the entirety of it to the American people," said Meuser. "They're telling us it costs zero ... it's going to cost over $3 trillion this year alone in added debt and deficit."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has been vocal about his opposition to the bill, but now "he's deliberating," said Meuser.
"He's trying to be very careful and prudent as he goes through this," said Meuser. "But come to the end of the day, this is a big tax-and-spend monstrosity that will exacerbate inflation, which is what people are reminded of every hour of the day when purchasing or doing anything in their lives.
"I'm very hopeful that this thing get scuttled because it will not improve anything. It will only make the issues that we're dealing with worse."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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