Insider
Pennsylvania's Republican US Senate primary is headed to a recount.
The race and the stakes:
The Republican primary for Senate in Pennsylvania is headed to a recount between Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor endorsed by President Donald Trump, and former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick.
Oz led McCormick by just 958 votes and 0.07 percentage points as of May 25, falling well within the 0.5-point margin that triggers an automatic threshold in Pennsylvania. Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman called the recount on Wednesday morning after the deadline for countries to provide unofficial returns from the May 17 primary.
Meanwhile, Lt. Governor John Fetterman easily defeated his main rivals, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, in the race for the Democratic nomination for the seat, giving him an early jump on the general election while Oz and McCormick head to a potentially prolonged recount and legal battle.
McCormick and Oz, two wealthy candidates who've lent their own campaigns $11 million and $12 million, respectively, spent much of the primary cycle attacking each other on the airwaves and largely ignoring their lesser-known rivals like Kathy Barnette, who put up a stronger than expected performance, earning over 24% of the vote.
McCormick, also a US Army veteran, was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz and several former top Trumpworld figures, some of whom also consulted for his campaign.