Vance to speak at Trump rally for Oz in Pennsylvania

J.D. Vance, the newly minted Republican Senate nominee in Ohio, will speak at a rally alongside Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on Friday as the former president looks to get another one of his endorsed candidates, celebrity physician Mehmet Oz, across the finish line in that state’s GOP Senate primary.

Vance captured the Republican Senate nomination in Ohio on Tuesday, beating out a crowded primary field after scoring Trump’s endorsement late last month. His victory was seen as a win for Trump, who has sought to leverage his influence among GOP voters to get his preferred candidates elected this year.

Trump is set to face another test of his political sway on May 17, when Republican voters in Pennsylvania will head to the polls to choose their nominee to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R).

Trump endorsed Oz in early April, choosing a fellow TV celebrity over a relatively large field of Republicans, many of whom sought for months to cast themselves as acolytes of the former president.

Since winning Trump’s endorsement, Oz has seen his standing in the race strengthen, though recent polling still shows a tight contest for the Republican Senate nod. 

A survey from Franklin & Marshall College fielded from late April to early May showed Oz leading his main primary rival, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, by a narrow 2-point margin.

Democrats, meanwhile, are also facing a contentious Senate primary in Pennsylvania, though Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is seen as the favorite to win the nomination. The same poll from Franklin & Marshall College showed Fetterman with a staggering 39-point lead over his closest primary opponent, Rep. Connor Lamb (D).