Pennsylvania Senate GOP candidate David McCormick on Friday conceded to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in one of the most closely watched primaries in the country.
“We came so close, we came so close to the gold, by the slimmest of margins on election night with thousands of votes outstanding,” McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, said in brief remarks to supporters. “It’s now clear to me with the recount largely complete that we have a nominee. Today, I called Mehmet Oz to congratulate him on his victory.”
The concession means Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will face Democratic nominee John Fetterman in November.
“I received a gracious phone call from David McCormick and am tremendously grateful for his pledge of support in the fall election,” Oz tweeted. “We share the goal of a brighter future for Pennsylvania & America.”
Friday’s announcement came just days after McCormick’s campaign — citing what it called several “abnormalities” — said it would seek hand recounts of selected precincts in 12 Pennsylvania counties as a broader state-mandated recount of the May 17 primary got underway.
McCormick framed that recount in his concession speech as part of an effort to ensure “that every Republican vote was counted in a way that would result in the will of Pennsylvanian voters being fulfilled.”
The latest election results from NBC News, which projects Oz as the winner, showed McCormick trailing by 940 votes when he conceded.
Oz had claimed victory in a video last week.