Oct 4, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Oz to report $17.2 million (including a $7 million loan)

Josh Kraushaar

Dr. Mehmet Oz — Mehmet Oz. Photo: Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Republican Mehmet Oz's Senate campaign in Pennsylvania raised $17.2 million between July and September — including $7 million from Oz's own money — a campaign official tells Axios. These are big numbers and reflect a high-stakes race that may be narrowing by the minute.

Why it matters: The open seat is shaping up to be the majority-making race for the U.S. Senate. Strategists from both parties agree the race is going down to the wire.

Oz's Democratic challenger, John Fetterman, hasn't released his latest fundraising numbers yet. But he's been one of the party's most prolific fundraisers. He brought in $11 million in the last quarter.

By the numbers: Oz's third-quarter numbers are an exponential increase from the previous quarter, which partly overlapped the primary election contest and in which Oz raised $5 million, of which $3.2 million was a personal loan.

What we're watching: The battle to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is one of the most expensive battlegrounds in the country. The latest round of public polling shows Fetterman's double-digit advantage over Oz this summer shrank to a statistical tie.

Fetterman has held a sizable fundraising advantage over Oz in the race, but Republican outside groups have closed the gap.
The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund has spent or reserved $34.1 million in Pennsylvania Senate ads, according to SLF spokesman Jack Pandol, mostly on spots attacking Fetterman's record on crime.

Add Axios on Google

Scoop: Oz to report $17.2 million (including a $7 million loan)

What to read next